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) PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS \ 
 
 I Of \ 
 
 j SERVICE j 
 
 \ THE ARMY of the CUMBERLAND \ 
 
 \ and \ 
 
 I) Sherman's Army I) 
 
 V From August 17, 1861 to July 20, 1865. V 
 
 By S. A. McNeil, 
 
 Company F. 31st Ohio Veteran 
 Volunteer Infantry 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 This little book is written at the sug^g^estion of relatives 
 of the writer and is published without any apology for 
 whatever it may lack as an up to date publication. 
 
 The incidents recorded are those of which the writer had 
 personal knowledge, excepting where it is otherwise stat- 
 ed. The rapid transformation of a lad of seventeen to a 
 seasoned veteran, was largely due to the wise counsel of 
 the writers father, Andrew McNeil, who was an earnest 
 christian man and was unflinching in his loyalty to the 
 Union cause and believed that no sacrifice was too great 
 if it would aid the proper authorities of our Government 
 to crush the Southern rebellion and bring the seceding 
 States back into the Union. 
 
 THE AUTHOR 
 
 fk 
 
 // 
 
PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS 
 
 Of 
 
 ARMY LIFE 
 
 The Battle of Stone River, Tennessee 
 
 Our first and only experience in the immediate rear of a 
 largfe army during- a great battle ,was on December 31, 1862 
 
 Our brig-ade commanded by Colonel M. B. Walker was 
 g-uarding- a bridg"e over Stewarts Creek, not far from the 
 Nashville pike and about midway between that city and 
 Murfreesboro. General Joe Wheeler s cavelry was doing- all 
 sorts of mischief in the rear of our main army under Rose- 
 crans, who had formed his lines the previovs evening-, with 
 the left resting- on Stone River, and almost within cannon 
 shot of Murfreesboro, the headquarters of the Commander 
 of the rebel army. The foregfoing- will explain why we 
 were hurrying- South toward Murfreesboro on the morning- 
 December 31, 1863. with many miles between us and the 
 cedars of Stone River, where at that hour, the right divis- 
 ion of Rosecrans armj^^ was crumbling- to pieces under a 
 fierce attack of two divisions of Confederates, who had 
 g-ained the rear of the Union rig-ht wing-. South of the 
 little hamlet La Vergne, we came upon Wheelers Cavelry 
 burning- a wagon train belong-ing- to our army. Our brig-ade 
 soon drove the confederates from the burning- wag-ons-Van 
 Homes "Army of the Cumberland" says- "Walkers brig-ade 
 recaptured eight hundred of our men and the train animals." 
 
 1 
 
STONE RIVER 
 
 Agfain we started for the front, the sound of the battle 
 was distinctly heard and we realized that our army was 
 fig-htingf a great battle to decide the question of our farther 
 advance toward the Tennessee river and Chattanooga. 
 As we marched south on the Murfreesboro pike the sound of 
 battle was more and more distinct and the "thump, thump" 
 of the artillery seemed to us an accompaniment to the 
 constant roll of musketry. Thoug-h it was our first exper- 
 ience in the immediate rear of a great army at the opening- 
 of a battle, the noise of the battle was not a strang^e sound. 
 
 There is always a drifting- away of more or less strag-g"- 
 lers from a line of troops under fire, but the wreckag^e of 
 an entire division, which had been swept from the Union 
 rig-ht that morning-, by an overwhelming- force of confeder- 
 ates, was a real surprise to us, as we marched with ranks 
 well closed, in the direction from which came the incessant 
 roar of artillery and small arms. The soldiers we met 
 were to a great extent members of one of the best 
 divisions in Rosecrans army, and the misfortune which 
 drove them from the field at the opening of the battle 
 was largely the result of incompetenc}^ or to put it mild, 
 the gross neglig-ence of officers of hig-h rank. 
 
 Many of the severly wounded were helped along" by their 
 strong-er comrades, and the greater number appeared to 
 be overcome by the awful disaster of the early morning-, 
 but some were terror stricken and seemed to think of noth- 
 ing- except their own personal safety. We offered some 
 advice to the latter class, and one of my comrades sug-g-- 
 
 2 
 
STONE RIVER 
 ested to one of the strag-g^lers, that he oug"ht to stop for 
 dinner at a sand-pit. But in spite of our "kidding"" if v/e 
 had expressed our honest opinions, we were not encouragf- 
 ed. From our own knowledg^e of conditions just then the 
 tide of battle was against our comrades on the battle line. 
 
 IIow is it going" now at the front? was one of the quest- 
 ions asked the men we met With few exceptions the ex- 
 hausted soldiers would inform us that the Confederates 
 were having every thing their own way. One bright boy 
 with a shattered arm replied as follows, I will quote his re 
 ply from memory. "They drove our men back to the 
 Nashville pike this morning, but I'll bet a brass watch 
 that before Bragg" g"ets through with this job he will 
 want Rosecrans men to stop killing" rebels." We cheer- 
 ed the boy who I hope lived to see the end of the rebel- 
 lon. We had been in active service, at the front more 
 than a year, and we really thought that ours was a reg- 
 iment of seasoned veterans, but the anxiety of both, the 
 officers and soldiers, was perceptible as our column app- 
 roached the battle field. 
 
 In every regiment of soldiers of that war were men and 
 boys who would indulg-e in card playing. The old g"arae of 
 "Seven up" and "drawpoker" served to pass away the 
 time while in camp, and many of the comrades carried a 
 "deck" in the blouse pocket. During the last two miles 
 of our march toward Stone River, cards were thrown a- 
 side as undesirable property, and at one place the Murf ree- 
 sboro pike was so nearly covered with the little paste- 
 
 3 
 
STONE RIVER 
 boards that one could imag-ine the cards had snowed down. 
 I have serious doubt about there having been one deck 
 of cards left in the pocket of a soldier belongfing to the 
 brigade when we arrived at the front, Kings queens and 
 spots were at a discount, but the pocket bibles and test- 
 aments held their own as they have in times of peace 
 and in times of war for many centuries. When our com- 
 mand came within view of the battle lines it was afternoon 
 and to our surprise the confederate attack had spent its 
 force and from the bank of Stone River on our left, to the 
 cedars on our right were solid lines of blue with ranks 
 closed up, waiting for the next move in the great battle 
 of Stone River. 
 
 To me the battle lines--the part of our lines we could see- 
 were grand, and I never afterward doubted the ability of 
 that Superb Army of the Cumberland to recover from a 
 temporary disaster. 
 
 Chiekamauga 
 
 When the Army of the Cumberland started from the vic- 
 inity of Winchester, Tenn. on the campaign which resulted 
 in the battle of Chiekamauga and the capture of Chatta- 
 nooga, weclimbed a range of mountains to reach the Tenn- 
 essee river and crossed the river near the mouth of Battle 
 Creek. 
 
 Our division (Brannon's) had no pontoons to bridge the 
 river and the soldiers built rafts of timber and lumber taken 
 from a sawmill, and from other buildings near at hand. A 
 
 4 
 
CHICAMAUGA 
 raft would carry one army wagfon or one field gfun. The 
 motive power was long- poles in ttie hands of soldiers. It 
 required about as many men and as much time to make 
 the return trip with no load as it did to take a wag^on or a 
 company of soldiers to the south side. The water in the 
 river was at a low stag^e and the artillery horses and train 
 mules were made to swim where the water was too deep 
 to wade. Some of the men made canoes and dug-outs 
 and that was one of the many instances where the intelli- 
 g-ence and skill of the soldiers of the rank and file accom- 
 plished wonders. Some of the rafts were marvels of boat 
 architecture and when properly manag-ed would carry 
 almost as much stuff as the little ferry boats on southern 
 streams at that period. 
 
 On several occasions during" that war men who had not 
 been gfraded high in discipline and soldierlyconduct, sprung- 
 into prominence by showing their skill in some special 
 manner which broug-ht them to the notice of the command- 
 ing- officers, and from that time those soldiers appeared to 
 take greater interest in the prosecution of the war and ev- 
 idently believed that each individual soldier was an im- 
 portant cog- in that mag-nificient military machine. "The 
 army of the Cumberland." 
 
 The horses crossed the river without accident, but the 
 mules would sometimes g-et panicy in the water, and if a 
 mule g-ot loose from the others in the channel of the river, 
 he was a g-one donkey; instead of swimming- with the others 
 to shore he would keep g-oing- in a circle and bray most 
 
 5 
 
CHICAMAUGA 
 pitiously until his nose went under water and his tail ap- 
 peared above the waves. If he had exerted himself in the 
 right direction he could have reached shallow water from 
 where he could have waded to the shore. 
 
 The faithful army mule was a factor in the war of the 
 rebellion, and without him it would have been well nig-h 
 impossbile to have secured animals to haul the miles of 
 wagon trains, and later in the war, pack animals to carry 
 camp equipage and intrenching tools. 
 
 While on the subject of "The army mule," which has 
 been a subject of much ridicule and sarcasm. I will di- 
 gress from the Chickamauga campaign and give one in- 
 stance of the strong attachment of the armj'^ teamster, 
 "mule whacker." for the faithful saddle mule of his team. 
 
 Elijah Lister was detailed as assistant teamster at div- 
 ision headquarters. This was at Savannah Georgia in the 
 winter of 1864 and 1865, and comrade Lister is authority 
 for the following. He was assigned as the assistant of a 
 teamster who drove one of the finest mule teams in the 
 14th army corps. The six mules were almost perfectly 
 matched in color — very dark Sorrel or dark tan — the 
 "wheel" mules were unusually large, the swing team were 
 not quite so large and the lead team were of ordinary size. 
 
 On the Atlanta campaign, and on the "March to the 
 Sea". I frequently saw that team of six mules and noted 
 their good condition. 
 
 It was up in North Carolina in March 1865, that, both 
 teamsters were out on a foraging tour. They had gone 
 
 6 
 
 \ 
 
CHICKAMAUGA"— On the South side of Tennessee, 
 a few miles from where the division was in camp for that 
 afternoon. Lister was riding" one of the lead team and 
 his companion was on his faithful saddle mule, ''Jennie." 
 The boys had some bacon and some North Carolina beans 
 and were riding- back to the road on which the wag^on train 
 was "parked." when a squad of Wade Hampton's cavelry 
 took the boys and mules under their charg^e. Lister and 
 his companion were ordered to dismount and a rebel soldier 
 was about to lead the mules away when the head team- 
 ster put his arms around the neck of his saddle mule and 
 weeping- most piteously said, "Oh! Jennie, my faithful 
 friend, g"ood-bye." The animalplaced her nostrils ag"ainst 
 his shoulder as thoug"h she really understood the sad part- 
 f rom her kind master. The war soon closed and both team- 
 sters lived to g^et home. 
 
 Oa the South Side of Tennessee 
 
 It was the peach season when we started on the march 
 up the valley and across the mountain rang-es into the 
 Chickamaug-a valley. 
 
 While crossing- Lookout Mountain, some twenty miles 
 south of Chatanoog"a, a comrade called attention to a de- 
 lapidated cabin not far from the mountain road on which 
 we were marching-. On investig-ation, we found a family 
 of poor whites in a destitute condition. About that time 
 the column halted and the shanty was surrounded by the 
 first Yankees those wretched people had ever seen. 
 
 7 
 
ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF TENNESSEE 
 Without any remarks, commands or sugfgestions as 
 to what should be done in the case, each of us contri- 
 buted from the limited supply of food in our haversacks 
 until there was a pile of hardtack, pork, beans and g-enuine 
 Yankee coffee (ungfround) on the floor of that hovel suff- 
 icent to feed the family for several days. 
 
 The sig-ht of that poverty stricken family touched a 
 place in the heart of every soldier there. It was a mute 
 appeal, such as will always bring" response from those who 
 are broug"ht face to face with human misery. 
 
 Before the next full rations were issued to our brig^ade 
 the battle of Chickamaug^a had been fought and a number 
 of the boys who had shared their scanty rations with the 
 occupants of the mountain cabin, were left on the battle- 
 field, dead, and doubtless the Confederate soldiers in g'oing- 
 over the field, wondered why those boys had been carry- 
 ing" empty haversacks. 
 
 Chickamaaga First Day 
 
 On Friday nig"ht Sept. 18, 1863 Brannons division of the 
 14th army corps, marched all night passing" Crawfish 
 Springs, Lee and Gordon's mill and the Dyer farm. Early 
 in the morning of the 19th we halted at the roadside, on 
 what I have since learned was the McDaniel farm and near 
 the north line of the present Chickamauga National Park. 
 
 Before we g"ot fires started to make coffee, the brig-ade 
 moved east of the Lafayette road, some distance and we 
 concluded that Colonel Connell our brigfade commander was 
 
 8 
 
CHICKAMAUGA 
 uncertain about where he should move his command We 
 heard f ireing" east or southeast in our front. 
 
 The 31st Ohio was taken from the brig-ade and we mov- 
 ed in the direction of the fireing-; we piled our knapsacks 
 by companies, leaving" one man of each company to g^uard 
 them. 
 
 We moved forward some distance and formed on the left 
 of the 10th Kentucky, which was the left regiment of 
 Croxton's brig-ade, which had really opened the battle an 
 hour previous, and had retired a short distance for a fresh 
 supply of ammunition. The woods in our front was full 
 of rebel troops and they were driving- Starkweathers bri- 
 gade back toward our line. 
 
 On they came with a howling- mob of Confederates at 
 their heels. The horses belong-ing to the Fourth Indiana 
 battery and Loomis' battery, dashed wildly throug-h the 
 woods. The guns of these two batteries had fallen into 
 the hands of the Confederates who had fiercely attacked 
 Starkweather before his lines were properly formed. About 
 this time I noticed that the faces of the comrades on my 
 right and left were somewhat paler than usual; doubtless 
 if I could have had one glance in a mirror just then, the ab- 
 sence of youthful bloom on my own face would have sur- 
 prised me. An Officer came running- back, he was thor- 
 oughly demoralized. A comrade near me brought his g-un 
 down and threatened to punch him if he did not halt and 
 try to reform his men who were running over us. 
 
 The officer pushed aside the gun and went over us like a 
 
 9 
 
CHICKAMAUGA 
 jack rabbit running- from a greyhound. 
 
 We had been in active service about two years and had 
 been under lire many times, but it was a most trying- exper- 
 ience to lay flat in the woods, southeast of the Kelly field, 
 while a disorganized mass of our own soldiers went pell- 
 mell over us, with an irreg-ular line of Confederates shoot- 
 and yelling- at their heels. 
 
 The men in g-ray halted at a respectful distance in our 
 front. The last bunch of our men had passed over to the 
 rear, when at a signal our line raised up and poured a 
 volley into the line of Confederates, which scattered those 
 "Johnnies" and sent them back in the direction of Jay's 
 Mill, with our line close at their heels. "We pushed them 
 southeast past the 4th Indiana Battery which they had 
 taken from Starkweather within the hour previous to the 
 time we got into the fig-ht. 
 
 A detail of men under Capt. Bill Free hauled the gfuns 
 and cassions back in the direction of Kelly's field; not a 
 sound horse of the entire battery was within sight. 
 
 The 31st reformed its line of battle, moved to the rigfht 
 and joined again the left of the 10th Ky. who g-reeted us 
 with, "bully for the "31st" Ohio." Here we checked an- 
 other charge of the enemy and followed them to a point 
 within g-unshot of Jays Mill. — That position is marked by 
 a marble tablet which stands north of Jays Mill and Broth- 
 er ton road — 
 
 While at that advanced position a heavy force of the 
 Confederates came up in our front and reached beyond 
 
 10 
 
CHICKAMAUGA 
 our left. The Johnnies begfan to shoot down our line from 
 left to rig-ht and we were ordered to retire slowly; while 
 the enemy followed with their boasted rebel yell. It was 
 here that the men of the rank and file displayed the splen- 
 ded qualities of the American Soldier. In our efforts to 
 delay the advancing- lines of grey, I recall the fact that 
 every boy in that retreating- line of blue was a hero, Four 
 or five hours of close work had fanned the timid fellows 
 out of the line, and they were drifting" somewhere in the 
 rear. We loaded our Spring-fields as we walked back, 
 then turning- about fired into the faces of our foes, I vent- 
 ure to say that most of our shots knocked the dust out of 
 some part of a g-rey uniform. In spite of their long-er line 
 which overlaped our left, we made that retreat of ours an 
 expensive advance for Brag-g-s men. While loading- for an- 
 other shot at the Johnnies we almost bumped up ag-ainst a 
 line of our troops who had been sent in to take charg-e of 
 the fellows who were crowding us back to the north west 
 
 Those fresh troops that relieved our depleted line were 
 the finest appearing- soldiers I had ever met. 
 
 Perhaps the knowledg-e that we had "bit of f more than 
 than we could chew" and the rapid decrease of weig-ht of 
 our catridg-e boxes added to the appearances of the line of 
 fresh troops, who g-ave the johnnies a rattlingf volley of 
 minie ball, then drove them back in the direction of Jays 
 Mill. Only those who have been there can fully realize 
 my condition when the regiment, (what was left of it) 
 marched back toward the Lafayette road, replenished our 
 
 11 
 
CHICKAMAUGA 
 cartridgfe boxes and stretched out on the ground for a brief 
 rest. To use the slang of to day, "I was all in." 
 
 In the close, hard fig^hting of September; 19 th 1863. 
 Company P. was roughly handled by the enemy. David 
 M. Cahill was killed. Lt. J. J. Miller, James Cooley, H. 
 N. W. Simmons, W, S. Winters and others were wounded. 
 
 An enlisted soldier can not see all that occurs in his own 
 company during- a battle, but I remember some incidents of 
 that eventiful Saturday. "While the Confederates were 
 driving one of our brigades over us as we lay in line on the 
 left of the 10 th Ky, a color bearer stopped at our line 
 and said "boys if you promise to stand by me and this 
 flag, I will not go one step farther to the rear." a group of 
 our boys promised to carry his flag- if he fell in the battle. 
 The brave Sergeant was not with us very long. An officer 
 of his regiment came with an order for him to join his own 
 command which was forming in line a short distance from 
 where we first met the advancing Confederates. 
 
 As was John Jordan, color Sergeant, of the 21 st Wis, 
 Infantry, captured the next day Sept. 20.1863. and died in 
 Andersonville Prison. This information was given in a 
 letter from a member of the 21 st Wis. Inf. to the writer 
 in 1883. 
 
 All of the dead and many of the wounded of both armies 
 were left on the ground over which we fought. Each side 
 had held and lost the same ground twice or thrice during 
 the day. The dying soldier, whether he wore the blue 
 or the grey, spoke the last message for friends at home 
 
 12 
 
CHICKAMAUGA 
 into the ear of him who would pause and hear it. 
 
 The wounded soldiers on that field were all Amercians 
 
 James Cooley was on his way to a point where the 
 ambulance train was loading- up with wounded men. His 
 arm was shattered and the blood was f lowingf freely, Jim 
 was indulging" in adjectives addressed to the fellow who 
 shot him in the arm, whoever that fellow was, when he 
 heard a pitiful call, "Oh g"ive me a drink of water." Jim 
 looked at the wounded boy, in g-ray uniform, and said 
 something- about his own condition, and his canteen being- 
 almost empty. A moment later Jim stood in front of his 
 wounded enemy saying-, "Here Johnnie, drink all you 
 want." 
 
 A ball wounded a soldier in the f ing-er, Under the in- 
 tense excitement of the moment, he ran full speed to the 
 rear swinging- his wounded hand and yelling- "For Gods 
 sake, somebody carry me off the battle field." 
 
 The most trying- moment of that day was when the con- 
 federates were forcing- us back, and we were stubbornly 
 yielding ground. 
 
 I had just fired at the advancing- rebels, and faced about 
 to load when I saw Hartley Dew of Co, A. cap his g-un and 
 aim at the enemy. I was almost in front of Dew, and 
 stepped aside to pass him, when a bullet struck him. 
 
 Poor Bart fell forward, dead.. The sickening^ sound of 
 the ball striking- him. and the boy lying- there at my feet, 
 for an instant, rattled me. and I could hardly resist an im- 
 pulse to run away from danger. 
 
 13 
 
CHICKAMAUGA 
 
 I had seen many of the boys shot down that day and 
 thougfht I was proof agfainst a nervous attack, while under 
 fire, but the death of Dew made me a coward for the mo- 
 ment. Nelson P. Swank, helped a wounded comrade back 
 to the rear, and was returning- to the battle line at the 
 front when a squad of Johnnies who had become separated 
 from their own command, took Swank under their care. 
 
 One of the Southerners said, "Here Yank, I will carry 
 your g-un, I know you are tired." Swank was a prisoner 
 and could almost see the g^ate of a Southern prison pen 
 opening to admit him into the presence of untold misery 
 and starvation. 
 
 The confederates had taken their prisoner a short dis- 
 tance, when several guns clicked and Swanks captors 
 were looking into the barrels of a dozen guns in the hands 
 of as many determined Yankies, "Johnnie" said Swank 
 very deliberately, I will carry my own gun, I know you 
 you are tired." and taking his own gun from the confed- 
 erate Swank soon found the regiment and got busy with 
 the rest of us. 
 
 The above incident will g*ive the reader some idea of the 
 mix up of friends and foes where Brannon's division fought 
 back and forth between the two roads leading to Alexand- 
 ers bridge, and Reed's bridge. A brigade was sent in 
 where it was needed. Sometimes a regiment or two was 
 fighting far out in front, "all by themselves," It was a 
 fierce deadly struggle, a rough and tumble fight of irregu- 
 lar lines of battle, successes and reverses. Doubtless 
 
 14 
 
CHICKAMAUGA 
 many of the soldiers of both armies got into a mixup that 
 day similar to comrade swank's capture and escape. 
 
 A bunch of confederates threw down their gfuns, saying-, 
 "Yanks we surrender." They were told to g-o back to 
 somebody who had time to guard them. 
 
 In the evening- the 31st joined our own brigade, which 
 had been where the Reeds bridge tower now stands. 
 
 We bivouaced near a pile of straw in the Dyer field that 
 night. Our knapsacks had fallen into the hands of the 
 enemy about 4 P. M., and doubtless while the writer was 
 shivering, under a bunch of straw, through the long hours 
 of the night, some Confederate was snoozing comfortably 
 under a U. S, blanket. 
 
 It is safe to say that the Confederate would improve the 
 first opportunity to read certain letters he would find in 
 the knapsack. 
 
 In this connection, I will state that early in the follow- 
 ing- month while, on the outpost picket line in front of 
 Chattanooga, a member of the 31st. was informed by a 
 Confederate picket that he (the confederate) had a knap- 
 sack which formerly belong-ed to a soldier of the 31st Ohio. 
 The Johnnie was informed that he must be mistaken, be- 
 cause that, regiment had not carried knapsacks for some 
 time past. 
 
 Cliieamaaga, Second Day 
 
 We were roused from our straw beds in the Dyer field 
 before daybreak Sunday morning, Sept. 20, 1863, and were 
 placed in position in the timberland along the west side 
 
 15 
 
CHICKAMAUGA 
 of the Poe field, — the position is marked by the 31st Ohio 
 monument. — 
 
 The sun came up in all the splendor of a southern autumn 
 morning-. Hardly a shot was heard to disturb the peace 
 and quiet of the Sabbath. A heavy mist or smoke hung- 
 over the field soon after sunrise, so we could not see our 
 own skirmishers. 
 
 We could hear the wounded begging" for water. One 
 man seemed to be only a short distance in our front. Jerry 
 Gladhill of Co. F. with a canteen filled with water volun- 
 teered to relieve the poor fellow. He had been gone a few 
 minutes when a shot broke the stillness of the early morn- 
 ing- and Jerry came out of the smoke running like a deer. 
 When he had sufficient breath to talk, Jerry related how 
 he had found the poor fellow who had been there all night 
 and while in the act of handing the canteen to the wound- 
 ed soldier, a shot was fired, and a bullet cut one of the 
 straps by which he held the canteen. "Then" said Jerry, 
 "I came away." 
 
 Stones, rails and logs were piled up to shelter our line 
 from the musketry of the enemy. We held that line against 
 every charge of the enemy until about noon when our pos- 
 ition was attacked from the rear by a confederate force 
 passing through a gap left by the withdrawal of two bri- 
 g:ades of Wood's division, on the right of our brigade. 
 
 Lieutenant J. J. Miller gave the order to our company 
 to retire from that position. 
 
 A detachment of the regiment rallied on Snodgrass 
 
 16 
 
CHICKAMAUGA 
 Ridgre, where a marker now stands, and fought till night 
 on the line where our beloved commander General, Geo. 
 H. Thomas, earned and won the title, "The Rock of Chick- 
 amauga." After we left the Poe field the writer was 
 with another detatchment of the 31st which had the reg- 
 imental flag and was commanded by Lt. Col. Lister. 
 
 Many writers of the battles of the Civil war have imp- 
 ressed the idea that the second days fighting at Chick- 
 amauga was the gigantic struggle of the two days battle. 
 
 This is true so far as it relates to that part of the army 
 which beat back the enemy on Sunday morning, when 
 Bragg was determined to crush the left of our army, and it 
 is especially true concerning General Thomas and his men 
 in holding the line on Snodgrass Ridge, against the dete- 
 rmined and repeated attempts of five times their number 
 of Confederates to carry the position. There is nothing in 
 the annals of the Civil war that shows greater courage, and 
 heroism, than the defense of Snodgrass Ridge by General 
 Thomas and his soldiers, on the afternoon of Sept. 20, 1863 
 
 It is also true that in dramatic features the second days 
 battle over shadowed the first. But the writer has always 
 insisted that the war of the rebellion furnished no better 
 test of the fighting, and staying qualities of the American 
 soldier, than was shown by the army of the Cumberland 
 in the first days battle. 
 
 There was no choosing of positions for lines of infantry 
 and field artillery. There was no time for maneuvering 
 troops or for military tactics. Brigades, and even single 
 
 17 
 
CHICKAMAUGA 
 regfiments, were hurried forward to points where the en- 
 emy was most aggressive. It was an all days fight by 
 the enlisted men. Almost every available regiment in 
 Rosecrans army was heavily engaged, some place along the 
 line, in Saturdays battle. The battle of Sunday was begun 
 on positions selected by an army Commander and his sub- 
 ordinate generals, and the entire right wing of the army 
 of the Cumberland was swept from the battlefield, as the 
 result of a mistaken order issued by the commander of the 
 army, and which was obeyed too promptly by a subordin- 
 ate officer commanding a division. 
 
 Since the close of the Civil war the sentiment prevails, 
 even in the North, that Chickamauga was a Confederate 
 victory. The only possible ground for such conclusion is 
 the fact of the enemy having held the battlefield for two 
 months after the battle. 
 
 The battle having been fought along the Chickamauga, 
 ten miles South of Chattanooga, was an accident. General 
 Rosecrans compelled the Confederate commander, Bragg, 
 to evacuate the city of Chattanooga without a battle. 
 Bragg retreated South until Longstreet, with 25,000 men 
 from Lee's army, was within supporting distance, when 
 Bragg attempted to place his army between Rosecrans, 
 and Chattanooga. Bragg was making good progress when 
 Brannon's division struck the confederate infantry Satur- 
 day morning and brought on the battle. 
 
 More than two thirds of the soldiers of Roseceans armj'- 
 never saw Chattanooga, which was the objective point of 
 
 18 
 
EXCHANGE OF WOUNDED 
 the campaigfn, until after the battle of Chickamaugfa was 
 fougflit. To sum up the results; the battle was fougfht for 
 the possession of Chattanoog-a — the gfateway to the inter- 
 ior of the South — the loss of w hich was disastrous to the 
 southern cause. The union army held Chattanoogfa and it 
 was never afterward in the possession of the Confederates, 
 but to them it was lost forever. And Chattanoog"a became 
 the base of supplies for Shermans army on the Atlantia 
 campaigfn, and later on, to supply the army for the March 
 to the Sea, 
 
 Exchange of Wounded 
 
 A few days after the battle of Chickamaugfa, we were 
 firmly intrenched and did not fear the result of an assault 
 by the enemy, investing- Chattanoogfa. An exchange of 
 wounded Confederates within our lines, for an equal num- 
 ber of our own wounded comrades left within the enemy's 
 lines was arrang^ed for. About the. 30th of September a 
 long train of ambulances filled with wounded Confederates 
 passed outside of our intrenchments, near the right of our 
 brig-ade. Late in the afternoon the ambulance train return- 
 ed to Chattanoog-a. with our wounded, who had been left 
 within the enemys line about ten days before. 
 
 Hundreds of our soldiers lined up along- the Rossville 
 road to g-reet our wounded comrades as they came inside 
 of the Union lines. 
 
 Although they had been prisoners less than two weeks, 
 it was a joj'^ful home-coming- to the boys in the ambulance 
 
 19 
 
AN ENTERTAINMENT 
 train. Those who were able to make any demonstration 
 were almost overcome when they saw the line's of rifle 
 pits with the regfimental flag's waving" here and there, and 
 the lines of soldiers in blue uniforms. One of the wound- 
 ed soldiers exclaimed. ''Why, There is the Old flag" sure 
 enough." another said "Thank God we are home." and 
 "you boys look mig"hty g"ood to me." 
 
 To them, rebel flags and gray uniforms were associated 
 with hung"er, misery, suffering" and death. But the very 
 sight of the men in blue with the Stars and and Stripes 
 waving above them, meant better care, something" g"ood to 
 eat and letters from home. 
 
 An Entertainment 
 
 One Sunday there was a crowd of soldiers g"athered at 
 the headquarters of Van Derveer,s brigade. 
 
 It had been announced that Prof. Murdock of Cincinnati 
 would entertain the soldiers of our division for an hour. 
 Mr. Murdock was a fine elocutionest and was roundly ap- 
 plauded by the soldiers. A glee club belonging to the 35th 
 Ohio sung patriotic songs. The Confederates had some 
 heavy guns on the point of Lookout mountain. When an 
 unusual g"athering of soldiers were seen in camp in Chat- 
 tanoog"a, this battery on the mountain would send their 
 huge shells in that direction. A g"entleman from Ohio — 
 I cannot recall his name — was delivering a speech on the 
 progress of the war. I remember he spoke highly of our 
 record in the war, and spoke of General Thomas as the 
 
 20 
 
CHATTANOOGA RATIONS 
 "Rock of Chickamaug-a." Near the close of his speech he 
 declared that within a few weeks, a battle would be foug-ht 
 on the heig^hts around Chattanoogfa, that would have a 
 grreater effect in bringfing- the war to a close, than any bat- 
 tle fougfht prior to that time. He was going- along- nicely 
 when a puff of smoke shot out from the point of the 
 mountain, more than 1000 feet above us and more than 
 one mile away. The report of the g-un seemed to shake 
 the g-round, and a largfe shell burst in the air before it 
 reached us. The speaker winced and looked anxiously in 
 the direction of the mountain, then closed his speech. 
 
 We smiled and trudg-ed back to our part of the line. That 
 shell knocked the oratory out of the g-entleman from Ohio. 
 
 Chattanooga Rations 
 
 Prom Sept. 21st to Nov. 1st 1S63, the army at Chattan- 
 oog-a was hung-ry all the time. The enemy had possession 
 of our short route to Bridg-eport, making- it necessary to 
 haul our rations over the mountain roads which were in 
 such bad condition that the half starved train animals 
 could not haul more than half of an ordinary load. 
 The only square meal enjoyed by our mess in that time 
 mentioned, was secured througfh a business transaction, of 
 which mv comrade and bunkmate A. I. Hig-g-ins was the 
 promoter. Higgins was busy for several days with the 
 men who had the care of the officers horses. He finally 
 secured ten ears of corn, which one "Hosier" had saved, 
 one ear at a time, by cutting- off that amount from the 
 
 21 
 
NIGHT ATTACK AT CHATTANOOGA 
 reg^ular rations allowed for the horses. The consideration 
 for the ten ears of corn was a pound plugf of tobacco, which 
 had been captured by our forces when Chattanoog^a was 
 taken from the enemy, and distributed among the men. 
 
 The corn was shelled and it made a big" mess pan full 
 of old fashioned lye hominy. 
 
 We got away with that hominy at supper, and during the 
 evening' told stories and boasted of having- had one square 
 meal since our arrival in Chattanooga. 
 
 I expected a good nights rest and sought my bed of rough 
 boards, with a gum poncho for a mattress and a single 
 blanket for a covering; but there was no sleep for me that 
 night. My entire system was in a g"reat commotion and 
 I would not have given five cents a bushel for all the 
 hominy in Tennesee. 
 
 Night Attack At Chattanooga 
 
 When one attempts to write of events which occurred 
 more than forty years ago, the mind becomes active on 
 that special subject. I now recall one amusing incident 
 during" a night attack of the enemy. We were busy 
 strengthening our works during the week following" the 
 battle of Chickamauga, and Braggs men were pushing- 
 their lines up close to ours, and the Johnnies were boast- 
 ing- that they could take the town, in spite of our fortifi- 
 cations. 
 
 A regiment on our left had found some telegraph wire 
 which they fastened to trees and stumps, about one hund- 
 
 22 
 
OHIO SOLDIERS COULD VOTE, 
 red yards in front of their rifle-pits. The wire was placed 
 about six inches from the g^round and was drawn tight. 
 That nig-ht our pickets were driven back to our main line 
 of works, with the confederates close after them. When 
 our pickets were safely within our line of works the order 
 was given to open fire on the enemy. 
 
 When the fireingf ceased we heard a few Johnnies wrest- 
 ling with the wire in front of the troops on our left. Every 
 time a Johnnie stumbled over the wire, the sound would 
 locate the victim, who would get a few shots before he 
 could escape from the mysterious thing which was throw- 
 ing him down. Doubtless those fellows wondered what 
 sort of a contrivance the Yankees had placed out there in 
 front of the breastv/orks. 
 
 Ohio Soldiers Could Vote 
 
 Among the states that passed a law giving their soldiers 
 in the field the right to vote, was the Buckeye State. The 
 evening before the day on which the Ohio election was 
 held, the 31 st was sent to relieve the 17 th Ohio, on the 
 picket line. By an agreement entered into by the Yanks 
 and Johnnies, on our part of the line, (Turchins brigade) 
 there was no picket firing during the hours of daylight, 
 unless by order of the proper officers, and if such an order 
 should be given, a certain signal was agreed upon. Hence 
 it was a a daily occurrence for the blue and the grey to 
 discuss the issues of the war and exchange courtesies on 
 the picket line, or on the skirmish line, in front of Chat- 
 
THE YOUNG REBEL 
 tanoogfa. C. L. Vallandigfham was the Democrat — copper 
 head — candidate for Govenor of Ohio, and John Broug-h was 
 the Republican-- Union — candidate. On the morningf of elec- 
 tion day the 82nd Indiana of our brig"ade came out and took 
 the place of the 31st. on the skirmish line. As we were 
 preparing" to return to our camp the boys in gray inquired 
 about the new rule of changing" the pickets in the morning, 
 instead of in the evening" as formerly. We informed them 
 that Ohio troops voted for state officers that day, I reck- 
 on you all will vote for Vallandigham." Said one Johnnie. 
 Another fellow asked , "Got any copperheads in your 
 regiment. Yank,?-' "Not a one,"we replied. "Well" he 
 continued, "We hear that Indiana is solid for Valland- 
 igham." Both sides laug"hed, and as we marched away the 
 same fellow shouted. "Say Yanks what are you all g"oing" 
 to do about them copperheads up North"? 
 
 The confederate soldiers seemed to be well posted as to 
 political conditions in the North. 
 
 The Young Rebel 
 
 On the 26th or 27th day of October 1863, Hazen's and 
 Turchins brigades, by a well executed movement, captured 
 Browns Perry; the possession of that crossing of the Ten- 
 nesse river enabled General Thomas to connect with Hook- 
 er who was bringing" the 11th & 12th corps, from Bridge- 
 port. 
 
 It was hardly daybreak when we crossed the river in 
 pontoon boats, which had been floated down the river 
 
 24 
 
THE YOUNG REBEL 
 during" the nig-ht. The enemy's outposts were taken by- 
 surprise and climbed the hills on the south side of a ravine 
 leading- from the river to the valley, about eig-hty rods 
 west. The enemy fired into our ranks from the hills 
 which appeared to be thickly populated by confederates, 
 and their bullets sounded "powerful wicked", as one of our 
 men put it. 
 
 The hills were soon cleaned of the enemy excepting a 
 sing-le confederate who kept up the shooting", g^iving a 
 rebel yell after each shot fired. From his voice we thought 
 he was a very young" soldier, and he was surely a plucky 
 boy to fire several shots after all of his companions had 
 left the hill. I never think of Browns Perry without re- 
 calling" the young confederate who stood his g^round alone, 
 shooting" and yelling", after his command had ceased fire- 
 ing" and had left the position. 
 
 We fortified and stayed there three days. During" that 
 time Hooker came into the valley and foug^ht the night 
 battle at Wauhatchie. In the three days, the only rations 
 issued to our reg"iment was a small slice of fresh beef to 
 each man. Oar bill of fare was parched corn for break- 
 fast, the same for dinner and ditto for supper. Oh ye epi- 
 cures, and chronic, kickers of nineteen hundred and nine. 
 I wish you could have three meals such as were served to 
 one of Turchin's soldiers at Browns ferry in Oct. 1863. 
 You would then quit your everlasting" grumbling" and your 
 patient wife could g"et a much needed rest from the old to- 
 pic, "My mother cooked the best meals I ever sit down to." 
 
 25 
 
OQR FLAG— MISSIONARY RIDGE 
 Our Flag On Lookout mountain 
 
 From our position we could see Hookers men fig-hting-, 
 near the Craven liouse, on the side of Lookout mountain. 
 Nov, 24th 1863. Once, in the afternoon, a heavy mist hung: 
 along- the side of the mountain between us and the soldiers 
 under Hooker, hence the name. "The battle above the 
 clouds". The morning' of Nov. 25th was clear. About sun- 
 rise we saw a regfimental flag", the Stars and Stripes, 
 waving- on the top of old Lookout. 
 
 "Our flag- is on Lookout'" was the word passed along- the 
 line, and the boys cheered and shouted, It was a dramatic 
 scene. From the foot of Lookout to the Railroad tunnel 
 under Missionary ridgfe, and from the river, where it pass- 
 es Chattanooga, to Orchard Knob on the East, were 
 reg"iments brig"ades, divisions and army corps, numbering- 
 perhaps fifty thousand soldiers, all cheering- at the sig-ht 
 of a sing-le flag- waving- away up on the north point of 
 Lookout mountain, and about 1300 feet above the valley. 
 
 Before the close of that day the men who had carried 
 the Stars and Stripes throug-h the battles of Stone river 
 and Chickamaug-a had swept Brag-g-s army from Missionary 
 Ridge and our flag- was waving- over four miles of Confed- 
 erate rifle-pits. 
 
 November 25th 1863 was a g-lorious day in the history 
 of the army of the Cumberland. 
 
 Missionary Ridge 
 
 In the battle of Missionary Ridg-e the 31st Ohio was in 
 
 26 
 
MISSIONARY RIDGE 
 Turchins brig-ade, Bairds's division, 14th A. C. 
 
 In the afternoon of November 25th, orders were given, 
 to prepare for business. Canteens were filled, blankets 
 were folded closely and twisted rope fashion, the ends 
 tied together making" an oblong hoop, which was thrown 
 over the head and rested on the shoulder. 
 
 D. J. Cheney and the writer swapped work that day, and 
 Cheney insisted on having" his blanket twisted to the limit 
 remarking that it might stop a rebel bullet. Strange to 
 relate a bullet did pass through his blanket, which pre- 
 vented the ball from g"oing through his body. He recover- 
 ed from the wound and lived many years after the war. 
 The signal to advance was six cannon shots fired from a 
 battery on Orchard Knob, which was to the right of our 
 brigade as we formed for the assault. It was late in 
 afternoon when the six shots were fired in quick success- 
 ion and we moved rapidly toward the ridge sweeping" the 
 confederate skirmishers and their reserves before us 
 like chaff before the wind. Their artillery on the 
 crest of the ridge, five hundred feet above the valley we 
 were crossing, sent a perfect storm of shot and shell into 
 our ranks, but the lines of blue kept steadily on until the 
 rifle-pits at the foot of the ridg"e was in our possession. 
 I remember we got the impression, somehow, that we were 
 to stop there, but the fireing" from the crest of the ridge, 
 above us, was terrific, and as if by impulse, the boys in 
 the ranks began to climb the west side of the ridge, shout- 
 ing, "Come on boys." and on we went, without any orders, 
 
 27 
 
MISSIONARY RIDGE 
 so far as I know, excepting- our own. 
 
 We were nearly exhausted by the race to the foot of the 
 ridge, and we made slow progress. About half way up, 
 we encountered an enfilading- fire from a force of the en- 
 emy who held a position north of a ravine on our left. 
 
 Farther up and to the rig-ht I saw a man waving- a United 
 States flag-. He was too far away to see his uniform but 
 I believed, at the time, that he was a confederate, taunt- 
 ing-ly waving- a captured flag- at our line. While looking- 
 up at the flag-, a rebel musket ball, evidently fired from 
 the point to our left, struck me just below the jaw bone 
 passing- throug-h my neck. Two streams of blood caused 
 me to believe an artery was opened and that I would soon 
 bleed to death. The first impulse was to get back down 
 the ridg-e, as far as possible before I should fall from 
 the loss of blood. This I did and reached the rifle-pits at 
 the foot of the ridg-e. A shower of shot and shell was 
 falling- around me as I lay were I really thoug-ht was my 
 last resting- place while in the flesh. 
 
 An awful thirst came oyer me and in my frantic efforts 
 to g-et at the canteen strapped under the waist belt, I cut 
 the canteen strap and g-ot the water to my lips. That 
 warm water was the best drink I had ever taken, and I 
 thoug-ht perhaps it was my last. There was no fear of 
 eternity, which it seemed to me was very near. The 
 thoug-ht of the possible failure of the assault, and that my 
 body would be left within the ememy's lines, was worry- 
 ing- me more than anything- else just at that time. 
 
 28 
 
MISSIONARY RIDGE 
 
 Under the excitement of the charg-e, I believed victory 
 was certain, but after that bullet had put me out of the 
 figfht our defeat seemed almost as certain. Many times 
 since I have thought it was strangfe how I could gfet the 
 impression that the artery had been severed and yet I was 
 livingf and able to walk. After resting- a few minutes I 
 found that the blood was not flowing" so freely. In the 
 pocket of my blouse was a silk handkerchief, a present 
 from mother. By pressing- the soft silk into the wounds 
 the flow of blood almost ceased. I was the happiest boy 
 in the army. From where I lay our irreg-ular lines of blue 
 could be seen as they slowly but persistently moved up 
 the ridg-e. To the South Wood's and Sheridan's divisions 
 were moving- up toward the crest. I started back toward 
 Orchard Knob to find a surg-eon, but became dizzy and 
 was resting- when a mounted officer came up, making- a few 
 remarks about strag-g-lers and cowards. I never had much 
 respect for officers who kept out of a battle for the avow- 
 ed purpose of stopping- strag-g-lers. My Springrfield rifle 
 was loaded and bringfing- it to a "ready" told him to g-it. 
 Doubtless he then saw the blood on my clothes, for he 
 muttered a sort of an apolog-y and rode away, but not in 
 the direction from which I had come. 
 
 During- one of the frequent halts for a brief rest I saw 
 the flag's of Turchin go over the works along the crest and 
 heard the cheers of my comrades. Off to the south other 
 flags were going over the Confederate works and, ''presto 
 change". 
 
 29 
 
IN THE HOSPITAL 
 
 The thunder of the enemys g-uns ceased. A military band 
 on Orchard Knob struck up. "Our flag- is there" I raised my 
 hat to those boys of the army of the Cumberland and did 
 my best to cheer them, but my voice would'nt g^o off. 
 Within a short time after witnessing the defeat of Braggs 
 army, I found a surgeon of Woods division, who gave me 
 a place in one of his ambulances in which I was taken to 
 Bairds division hospital in Chattanooga. 
 
 In The Hospital 
 
 In the hurry and excitement, I neglected to get the name 
 of the surg"eon who ordered one of his drivers to take me 
 to Bairds division hospital, which was a mile out of his 
 route. Perhaps it was my youth and the nature of the 
 wound that appealed to his sympathy. 
 
 Dr. Arter, formerly surgeon of the 31st recognized me 
 and promised early attention, but they were broug-ht in by 
 scores and it was near midnight before I got any attention- 
 
 Many were so severely wounded that I realy thought I 
 was fortunate in having the use of my hands and feet. 
 One poor fellow asked the men who carried him in, to 
 place him in a sitting posture against the wall. He was 
 deathly pale, and I soon found that it required both hands 
 to keep his bowels from falling- out through a ghastly 
 wound in the abdomen. He was still there when I finally 
 went to sleep. I was awake at day-break. The room 
 was crowded full with the wounded, but the Soldier hold- 
 ing both hands against his poor battered body, was not 
 
 30 
 
ONE INCIDENT— ANTIC'S OF SHOT AND SHELL 
 there. His dust, no doubt, reposes in the beautiful Nat- 
 ional Cemetry at Chattanoogfa. After breakfast I went 
 out toward an alley, back of the building" used for the 
 hospital, and opened the door of a small out building- and 
 was about to step inside, when I saw a pile of arms, leg's, 
 hands, feet, fing^ers and toes, which caused me to shut the 
 door and hurry on my way. 
 
 One incident 
 
 On the crest of the ridge, comrade Uriah Cahill helped 
 a wounded officer from his horse. The officer stated that 
 he was chief of ordinance on General Grants staff, and re- 
 quested Cahill and another comrade to assist him to an am- 
 bulance. 
 
 While assisting: the wounded officer, a General, com- 
 manding a division in the assaulting- column, met the party 
 and ordered Cahill and his companion to leave the wound- 
 ed man and join their commands at once. The officer told 
 the boys that they must obey the order and leave him, 
 which they were compelled to do, by the orders of a g-ener- 
 al officer who seemed to lack any feeling of compassion 
 for those in distress. 
 
 Curious Antic's of Shot and Sliell 
 
 Amongf the many wounded in the division hospital at 
 Chattanoog-a, was Cyrus Carter of the 31st. The ball 
 went through the lower lip and smashed all the lower 
 teeth on that side, passing out without serious injury to 
 
 31 
 
THE ATLANTA CAMPAIGN 
 the jaw bone. 
 
 Duringf the same battle a ball, which had about spent 
 its force, struck David Mcllroy on the leather shoulder 
 belt of his cartridgfe box, then bounced into a tin cup 
 which was fastened on the belt strap of the man next in 
 line. 
 
 In July 1864, while on guard at regfimental headquarters, 
 Mike Blue was wounded in the wrist by a ball which was 
 really a "Astray ball," No enemy was within less than 
 a mile of where Blue was on gfuard, and there was not a 
 sing^le shot heard at the time, yet he was wounded by a 
 ball coming" from the direction of the enemy. We were 
 not superstious. but the affair seemed to be spooky and 
 uncanny. 
 
 The Atlanta Campaign 
 
 The story of Shermans Atlanta campaign has been writ- 
 ten by abler pens than mine, but the scenes witnessed by 
 the Blue and Gray on the skirmish lines during that cam- 
 paign will, to a great extent, remain forever as a part of 
 the unwritten history of the war of the rebellion. The 
 skirmish pits, were sometimes known as "gopher holes"a 
 name given them by the western troops, and were of the 
 greatest importance. When the line of skirmishers were 
 advanced close to those of the enemy, axes, picks and 
 shovels were brought up and while some of the men kept 
 the enemy down , the others were digging pit^, eight or 
 ten feet long, throwing the dirt outward towards the en- 
 
 32 
 
THE ATLANTIC CAMPAIGN 
 
 emy. Each pit would hold three or four soldiers and were 
 made at intervals of a few rods, with the ends turned slightly 
 to the rear for protection against an enfilading fire of the en- 
 emy. A twenty-four hour service in a skirmish pit located in 
 the open country with no shade to protect one from the July 
 and August sun was an experience not to be forgotten. 
 
 The writer remembers such an experience while Sherman 
 was pounding away at Kenesaw mountain. We were ordered 
 to keep up a regular fire from the skirmish pits. During the 
 day I shot away seventy-five rounds and cleaned my gun sev- 
 eral times. Once during the day the three of us in our pit 
 ignored the shots from the enemy's skirmishers and tired at a 
 group of men on the side of Kenesaw who appeared to be 
 viewing our lines. After several shots had failed to move the 
 group. John D. Mather declared that 2000 yards was about 
 the proper distance. Our gun sights were not marked that 
 high, so we raised our guns to what we supposed was the prop- 
 er elevation to carry a ball that distance. The group of Con- 
 federates soon dispersed, but whether our shots was the cause 
 of it, it is a question which I cannot answer. 
 
 About noon the heat was intense, and the canteens were 
 empty. By running about forty paces to the right, we could 
 have a safe trip the remainder of the way to the stream where 
 we filled our canteens. Someliow, I got a foolish notion 
 that I would show those comrades that I was not afraid of 
 rebels bullets, so I got out of the pit and deliberately walked 
 back sixty or seventy yards before reaching any protection 
 from the bullets of the enemy, who improved the chance to 
 send a fusilade of shots after me. Strange enough, not a 
 shot touched me, but I then and there promised that never 
 again would I make my.self a fit subject for the "fool killer'" 
 by such silly conduct. 
 
 33 
 
CAPTAIN JAMES A. CAHILL 
 A line of Bkirmish pits at intervals of twenty yards, with 
 four nervy fellows in each pit, could be held easily against a 
 charp;ing party of thrice that number advancing over open 
 ground. Through the months of July and August, 1864, the 
 writer was the only duty sergeant of Company F subject to 
 detail for duty on the skirmish line, and therefore can write 
 from actual experience. The reader should bear in mind that 
 the skirmishers of an array have nothing but the atmosphere 
 between them and the enemy; then you can imagine some- 
 thing about the close work required in advancing from one 
 position to another for a distance of more than 100 miles, and 
 finding the enemy every time in a fortified position of his own 
 choosing; and the reader must remember, too, that all of this 
 was accomplished in about 100 days. 
 
 Captain James, A. CahilL 
 
 James A. Cahill commanded Company F on the Atlanta 
 Campaign, and was killed near Kenesaw mountain. June 23, 
 18H4. His brother Uriah, now of Richwood, Ohio, started to 
 take the body back to Ohio. Before he reached Chattanooga 
 he found it would be impossible to get the body of the Captain 
 back to Ohio for burial, and securing some rough boards, 
 Uriah made a cofiin and the body was laid away in the Na- 
 tional cemetery at Chattanooga, Tenn. 
 
 From an article by the writer, and published in the Marys - 
 ville Times in the year 1887, under the title of "Our Captain," 
 I quote the following: 
 
 "Captain Cahill, was a grand example of the natural 
 American soldier. He become a soldier because he was a 
 citizen. While he was prompt to enforce the orders of his 
 superiors, he never lost sight of the fact that private soldiers 
 have rights which Officers are bound to respect. He did not 
 hesitate to punish the guilty, nor was he slow to reward the 
 
 34 
 
THE BLUE AND THE GRAY 
 
 worthy. 
 
 "Captain Cahill commanded the respect of those above him 
 in rank, but he was no cringing follower of his superior offi- 
 cers. If being equal to every emergency constituted a hero, 
 then truly our Captain was a hero. But it was not for him to 
 pass through that ordeal unscathed. One morning, only a 
 few days before the stars and bars on Kenesaw gave place to 
 the stars and stripes, his lifeless body was carried back, and 
 Company F was without a Captain. They shot him down as 
 a boy would shoot a bird. All day long the sound of the 
 rattling volleys of our skimishers would die away for a few 
 moments, only to break out again with a fury that showed 
 fierceness of the conflict. Occasionally a motionless form on 
 a stretcher was carried to the rear. In the midst of our un- 
 spoken sorrow, a strange officer came to take the place of our 
 dead Captain. We said nothing, but. Oh, how we despised 
 those men in gray, across that open space, in the shadow of 
 Kenesaw, the men who had killed our Captain. 
 
 "That night, as we lay on the ground with the sky for our 
 roof, we tried to reason why the sacrifice of such men as Cap- 
 tain Cahill was permitted, and wondered if the coming years 
 had in reserve a sufficient punishment for the misguided men 
 whose action made necessary the lonely graves which marked 
 the pathway of Sherman's Army." 
 
 The Blue and the Gray, 
 
 When the Confederates crossed the Chattahoochie river, 
 our men were close after their rear guard and captured the 
 pontoon bridge, which the enemy had not time to take up. 
 The bridge was fastened to trees on our side, and the enemy 
 would fell large trees into the river above our position. Some- 
 times the current carried one of the floating trees against the 
 
 35 
 
A BAND CONCERT 
 
 bridge, but the ropes were strong and we held ou to the 
 bridge. The skimishers of both armies were separated by 
 the river, which at that point was not very wide. The blue 
 and gray were on good terms and agreed on a certain signal, 
 if orders were given to renew hostilities. Once while chang- 
 ing sentinels about midnight, to convince a sleepy comrade 
 that it was his turn for duty, the writer lighted a match to 
 see his watch. Just then a floating tree struck the wooden 
 pontoon at the upper end of the bridge, making a loud report, 
 followed by a volley from the boys in gray across the river. 
 Only one of our boys lost his nerve and fired back. The 
 Johnnies soon ceased firing and one of them inquired, "What 
 are you all up to?" We protested against them raising a dis- 
 turbance at that hour of the night, but they insisted that 
 "You all were doing something with the pontoon bridge." 
 
 A Band Concert, 
 
 While occupying the same position on the Chattahoochie 
 river, the officer in command of the Confederate outposts re- 
 quested the officer in charge of our line to ask our brigade 
 band, which we could hear as they played every evening, to 
 come down to the river. The band responded and was ac- 
 companied by a number of officers and soldiers. It was the 
 old regimental band of the 19th Illinois Infantry, which Gen- 
 eral Turchin had retained for his brigade band. They were 
 a good bunch of musicians. I recall that scene. A band of 
 musicians in their blue uniforms, standing out on the cap- 
 tured pontoon bridge, playing to an audience on each side of 
 the river — on one side the blue, on the other side the gray. 
 We cheered" The Red, White and Blue,"and other old nation- 
 al airs. They yelled when the band struck up "Dixie"and "The 
 Bonnie Blue Flag." Both sides applauded "Annie Laurie" 
 and "The Campbells are Coming," but no demonstration fol- 
 
 36 
 
IN FEONT OF A CONFEDERATE BATTERY 
 
 lowed "Home, Sweet Home," which closed the concert. 
 
 I have read of similar musical entertainments, said to have 
 occured during the civil war, and once heard a public speaker 
 relate jnst about such an incident, which he said took place 
 on the banks of the Rhappahannoek in the East. However 
 similar to other incidents of the war this may be, I can vouch 
 for the truth of the foregoing incident as being correct in 
 every detail, as I now remember it. 
 
 The officer in gray thanked the musicians, then got into an 
 argument with some of our officers about the issues of the 
 war. 
 
 That night, "Billy" Williams, Jerome Oatley and the writer 
 entertained the men in gray until our entire stock of war 
 songs and home songs were used up. "Yanks, that's all right, 
 give us another," was the frequent call from the other side of 
 the river. We finally gave them "John Brown," including 
 the verse "We'll Hang Jeff Davis to a Sour Apple Tree." 
 That song went without any demonstration of approval from 
 the men in gray. 
 
 In Front of a Confederate Battery 
 Near Big Shanty Georgia, 
 
 The morning of June 18, 1864, our line was annoyed by a 
 battery which had got as so nearly located that a fuse shell 
 would sometimes burst directly over us. Fifty men of the 
 31st were called for. The ten from Company F volunteered 
 and the writer was one of that number. The ground was 
 soaked by a heavy rain which was still falling. We were de- 
 ployed in heavy skirmish line and worked our way over a 
 plowed field until we, reached the crest of a slight elevation 
 running almost parallel with and about two hundred yards in 
 front of the field works of the enemy. Our boys fired from 
 the higher ground aud crawled back a few yards and reloaded. 
 
 37 
 
CORPS BADGES 
 
 Each group of eight or ten were instructed to aim at the field 
 gun in their immediate front. [The rebel guns were pro- 
 tected by field works made of log cribs filled with earth.] The 
 first shots from the battery struck the ground in our front 
 and bouncing up passed over us without injury to the skir- 
 mishers, excepting an occasional mud bath. Hovvever, we 
 lost several men duriug the day and night- 
 
 Within a half hour after commencing operations against 
 that battery we had every gun silenced for the rest of that day. 
 We could detect any movement of the rebel gunners by 
 watching the small opening through which the cannon was 
 fired, and, like the fellow in the riot, "When we saw a head 
 we went for it." 
 
 Our heavy line of skirmishers were in full control of the 
 enemy's position in our front. The Confederate infantry 
 could do us very little harm, a single head shown above their 
 works would draw a volley of shots from our side. We wal- 
 lowed in the Georgia mud till we were plastered from head to 
 feet. I doubt if any fifty men of Sherman's army got better 
 results from a single day's work during the Atlanta campaign. 
 
 The sorrowful part to record is the death of the brave boys 
 who went down on that line. Among the dead was John 
 Smith of Company F, a Rich wood boy; he was a splendid 
 boy and a good soldier. 
 
 Corps Badges, 
 
 The Acorn was the badge of the 14th Army Corps, a differ- 
 ent color for each division. The 1st division was red, the 
 2nd white and the 3rd bine. [NTote the blue acorn on title page 
 of this book.] The 20th Corps badge was a five pointed etur. 
 
 The following story passed along the line while the army 
 was pounding away at the city of Atlanta: For several days 
 the skirmishers of the 14th Corps had kept up friendly rela- 
 
 38 
 
CORPS BADGES 
 
 tions with the outposts of the enemy. One night the Union 
 line was moved some distance to tlie right, leaving the skir- 
 mishers of the 20th Corps on a part of the line recently held 
 by the 14th Corps. Early next morning a Confederate called 
 out, "Say, Yanks, I reckon we will go over your way this 
 morning and gather a few acorns." Back went this reply 
 from the soldier of the 20th Corps: "Say, Johnnie, if you 
 come over here for acorns today, you will see stars, sure 
 as ." 
 
 Captain G. W. Pepper in his "Personal Recollections," re- 
 lates the following "badge" incident: "An Irish soldier of the 
 15th Corps came by the headquarters of General Butterfield 
 at Chattanooga. He was a tired and weather-beaten straggler, 
 one of those who made Sherman's March from Memphis to 
 Chattanooga, thence to Knoxville, and was now returning in 
 the cold of thai march from Knoxville to Chattanooga. He 
 was thinly clad, one foot covered with a piece of rawhide 
 bound with strings about a sockless foot. "Arms at will," he 
 trudged past the headquarters guard intent only on overtak- 
 ing his regiment. 
 
 "Halt," said a sentinel with a bright gun, clean uniform 
 and white gloves. 
 
 "What do you belong to?" 
 
 "Eighth 'Misshory,' sure." 
 
 "What division?" 
 
 "Morgan L. Smith's, av coorse." 
 
 "What brigade?" 
 
 "Giles Smith's, second brigade of the second division." 
 
 "But what army Corps?" 
 
 "The Fifteenth, you bloody fool, I am one of the heroes of 
 Vicksburg. Any thing more. Mr. Sentinel?" 
 
 "Whore is your badge?" 
 
 39 
 
CAPTURING THE JOHNNIES 
 
 "My badge is it, wliat is that?" 
 
 "Do you see this star on my cap? That is the badge of 
 the 12th Corps. That crescent on ray partner's cap is the 
 badge of the 11th Corps." 
 
 "I see, now. That's how yez Potomick fellers git home ov 
 dark nights. Ye takes the moon and stars with ye." 
 
 "But what is the badge of your corps?" 
 
 Slapping his cartridge box the soldier replied: 
 
 "D'ye see that? A cartridge box, with a U. S. on a bra.ss 
 plate and forty rounds in it, and sixty rounds in oar pockets; 
 that's the badge of the 15th Corps that came from Vicksburg 
 to help ye fight Cliattanoogy." 
 
 It is said that when Logan heard of this incident, he adopt- 
 ed the cartridge box, v/ith the inscription "Forty Rounds" as 
 the badge of the 15th Corps, [Note— The 11th and 12th Corps 
 were consolidated and formed the 20th Corps which served in 
 Sherman's army until the end of the Civil war.] 
 
 Capturing the Johnnies. 
 
 It was August 5, 1864, according to an entry made that 
 day, that four companies of the 31st deployed in front of the 
 works, then advanced to our skirmishers who were within 
 close gunshot of the enemy's skirmish pits. Fortunately for 
 us, on the right of the line we were protected by woods with 
 a growth of underbrush. According to instructions, at the 
 sound of the bugle we made a dash for the enemy's skirmish- 
 ers, who had fired one volley and were about ready to give us 
 the second round when we stood over them. "We surrender, 
 Yanks," and dropping their guns, the Johnnies were bunched 
 together and taken back to brigade headquarters. The four 
 companies had captured sixty Confederates, with a loss to us 
 of seven; one killed and six wounded. This I get from the 
 reports. My personal knowledge of the affair was only v?hat 
 
 40 
 
CAPTURING THE JOHNNIES 
 
 I saw. The intrenching tools were brought forward and it 
 was only a few minutes work to change the pits so they faced 
 the intrenchments of the enemy. From our new position to 
 the main line of the enemy the timber land was more open, 
 and we could see something and hear more of the commotion 
 caused by the loss of their skirmishers and the loss of the 
 ground which we now held. 
 
 One of our squad picked up a ramrod belonging to the 
 guns just captured, and found it was easily broken, like pot- 
 metal. Wo fired a number of those short pieces of iron at 
 the head logs on the enemy's works. Those pieces of ramrod 
 could be heard singing through the air, and they doubtless 
 left the Johnnies guessing as to what sort of ammunition we 
 were using that day. But our target practice was cut short 
 by a battery of the enemy, which cut loose for almost a half 
 hour, shooting large limbs from the trees, and one shot, strik- 
 ing the fresh earth bank of our pit, half buried four of us. 
 We kept our places in the pit, preferring to be covered with 
 earth, rather than expose our bodies to that storm of shot and 
 shell. I have cometimes thought it might have been the 
 same battery I helped to put out of business, back at Big 
 Shanty. However tliat may be, I can imagine the grim sat- 
 isfaction of the gunners as they sent in shot after shot which 
 almost buried the Yankees in the skirmish pits. Although 
 no attempt was made by the enemy to regain their lost ground 
 at that point, we braced ourselves for the charge of infantry 
 which we expected would follow the fierce cannonade. Re- 
 suming our target practice, we kept them behind their works 
 and held the position till evening, when other troops took 
 our places. 
 
 This was one of the many nerve testing days of the Atlanta 
 campaign. Imagine, if you can, our first movement in the, 
 
 41 
 
CROSSING THE CIIATTAnOOCIIEE. 
 
 morning — stenlt.liily working our line up to tlie outposts, then 
 the suspense of waiting for ihe bugles to sound ''forward -/^ 
 the rush and the capture of almost every Confederate skir- 
 misher on their line; the call for intrenching tools, when 
 moments of delay seemed hours; tlie hustling to shovel the 
 dirt and change the pits; the terrifSc thunder of the cannon, 
 while shot and shell swept the ground; then, going higher, 
 shot off great limbs, which fell over our place of shelter; the 
 suspense, again, while waiting the charge, which we were sure 
 would follow the cannonade, and the last hours of constant 
 firing from our position, and the eternal vigilence to prevent 
 the enemy from making a move to assault our hard earned 
 position. All this in a few hours, was a test of courage and 
 endurance which pen cannot portray. Yet this was the work 
 of only one little detachment of soldiers on a battle line eight 
 miles in length, and was whac we did in the hours of sunshine 
 of UNE day. 
 
 Dear reader, do not think it strange that so many Civil 
 war veterans are old, broken down men at the age of 60> 
 when men should be but little past the prime of manhood. 
 
 Crossing the Chattahoochee. 
 
 It was not the intention of the writer to record these in- 
 cidents in the order of their occurrence. The preceding 
 chapter gives an account of one day during the investment of 
 the city of Atlanta. The reader will pardon me if I go back 
 almost a month. It was about the 17th of July, ISGl, and a 
 few days after the "baud concert," that we were on (Hitpost 
 duty at the river, and noticed an unusual commotion among 
 the boys in gray on the other side. They were packing up 
 their cooking utensils and camp equipage and hastily forming 
 in line. On our side everybody seemed to take notice, and 
 
 42 
 
ALONG PEACH TREE CREEK, 
 
 ouo of our fellows inquired the cause of their hurried move- 
 ments. A Confederate replied: ''Oh, nothin," only you all are 
 coming down the river on our side." and our foes marched 
 rapidly back from the river. A few minutes later some one 
 called attention to something up the river. Imagine our sur- 
 prise when looking to the left we saw a heavy skirmish line 
 of blue coming down the south side of the Chattahoochee, at 
 quick time and with their guns at "trail arms" Not a shot 
 was heard from the retreating Johnnies, or from the advanc- 
 ing Yankees. It was a new phase of war, and we, who had 
 been so chumy with the Alabama boys, almost regreted their 
 sudden departure. They were jolly good fellows and we had 
 carried on quite a business in trading coiiee for tobacco, 
 and some of our boys had ssvapped pocket knives with them. 
 The i^oint for the exchange of goods was a rock near the 
 middle of the stream. One morning a Confederate came across 
 and ate breakfast with members of Company F, after which 
 he returned to his own side of the river. The temporary truce 
 on tiio skirmish lines was a matter which was arranged by the 
 enlisted men of both sides. Our ofncers never objected to 
 such a compact with the enemy, and the Confederate ofScers 
 seldom interfered. It seems to me, now, that it was a sensi- 
 ble plan and doubtless saved many lives, and did not injur© 
 the cause for which we were fighting, namely: to crush the 
 youthern rebellion and restore the Union. 
 
 Along Peach Tree Creek. 
 
 About the 20th of July, 1804, Companies P and K were 
 deployed as skimishers and advanced to locate tlie position 
 to v/hich the enemy had retired the previous night. I remem- 
 ber the instructions given to us just before the signal "for- 
 ward" was heard. It was to keep well in line, "guide centre '' 
 
 43 
 
ALONG PEACH TREE CREEK, 
 go slow until the enemy was sighted, then quietly signal 
 "halt" to the nest man on the right and left who were to pass 
 the signal on, giving time for all to get shelter as best they 
 could before a shot was fired at the enemy. Advancing a half 
 mile, the bnsh undergrowth was not so dense and I saw, with- 
 in gunshot, a bank of fresh Georgia earth. Signaling right 
 and left as instructed, I dropped behind a small tree from 
 from where I saw four Confederates near the bank of earth 
 playing cards. Off to the left some boy in our line discovered 
 another bunch of Johnnies near a skirmish pit and forgetting 
 instructions,blazed away at them. In a twinkling there was 
 something doing. A little cloud of dust arose as the John- 
 nies tumbled into the skirmish pit in our front, and a num- 
 ber of musket balls went "pinging" by my tree. We fired 
 at every gray hat shown above the bank of earth. We could 
 keep our four Confederates from doing much harm, but some 
 Johnnies farther to the left got range of my little tree which 
 afforded about eight inches of protection from the front. 
 
 How I wished for one of the big trees, such as we had chop- 
 ped down for coon up in Union county, Ohio. Those Geor- 
 gia trees were mere saplings, and the laager I stood behind 
 that one the smaller it seemed to get. SVe were sure that we 
 had located the Johnnies, but they had also located 
 me; that was evident from tlie shots coming in 
 ''sideways." It is said that Gen. Gordon once accosted a Ten- 
 nessee soldier who was running to the rear and the soldier 
 stopped long enough to say, "I tell you. General, that's no fit- 
 ten place to be, up thar whar they are shootin." So, I also 
 thought, as I edged up against that miserable excuse for a 
 tree. Sam Merritt was mortally wounded and Elijah Lister 
 was shot through the arm. Company K lost three men. 
 
 All this occurred in less time than I have taken to write it. 
 
 4-1 
 
MOVING UP TO ATLANTA. 
 
 Intrenching tools were sent forward and we established an- 
 other of the many lines of skirmish pits of the Atlanta cam- 
 paign, and our brigade built a line of field works in the rear 
 of our position. 
 
 Moving Up to Atlanta, 
 
 On the 22nd day of July, 1S64, we advanced within can- 
 non shot of Atlanta and began intrenching. A battery of 
 heavy guns near us fired shells into the Confederate lines with 
 a regularity that must have been very trying on the nerves of 
 our enemies. The enemy had some heavy guns. too. Huge 
 shells came over into our lines, causing the headquar- 
 ters people and teamsters to hustle around pretty liveiy. The 
 enemy formed in two or three lines in front of their works. 
 
 We could see the mounted ofiicers and hear the cheers of 
 the rebel troops, which, no doubt, was in response to Gen- 
 eral Hood's bombastic orders issued to his army about that 
 time. The enemy then moved toward the division on our 
 left, while all their artillery on that side of the city opened 
 on our lines. Long before they came within musket range 
 our artillery fire began to have its effect on their charging 
 column, which seemed to lose its aggressive force, then went 
 to pieces and drifted back toward Atlanta, battered and beat- 
 en. No doubt, this demonstration was made to help Hood's 
 right wing, which was then engaged in a desperate struggle 
 with McPherson's two corps, some five or six miles to our 
 left. Hood was defeated, but the army of the Tennessee lost 
 their commander. 
 
 A Plucky German. 
 
 In one of the scraps during the siege of Atlanta, a German 
 belonging to the regular brigade was wounded and lay for two 
 
 45 
 
A PLUCKY GERMAN— ARTILLERY DUELS, 
 days and nights between the lines. A heavy rain fell dur- 
 ing the second night, and the soldier made out to crawl 
 back to our side. I was present when the surgeon dressed 
 the wounds. The soldier was first shot in the cheek and, 
 while laying on his face, a ball cut a furrow down his shoul- 
 der and missing his waist, had ploughed through the ilesli of 
 the hip. Oa both shoulder and hip the wound had opened 
 to a width of two or three inches, and the rain of the previous 
 night had colored the raw flesh so it resembled old beefsteak, 
 flecked with fly blows. He was stripped of his clothing and 
 seated on a camp stool. The poor fellow had evidently 
 kept the flies away from the wounds in his face, but the pests 
 had done their work on his shoulders and hip. It was enough 
 to cause even an old veteran to feel "creepy" to watch the 
 worms wiggle out and drop to the ground as the surgeon 
 drenched the wounds with some kind of a solution. The 
 Dutchman must have suffered, but he stood the ordeal brave- 
 ly, and caused some merriment by his inquiry: "Doc, are 
 you gitten dem all oud?" 
 
 Artillery Duels. 
 
 During the stirring days of the summer of 1804, when the 
 field guns of Sherman's army would send a shot at a battery 
 of the enemy or when the other side fired the shot anounc- 
 ing the challenge for a test of accurate firing, there was a 
 sort of pride among us infantry fellows in the battery engaged 
 on our side. On one of the lines of rifle pits we built near 
 the Sandtown road a battery was posted about two hundred 
 yards to the left of our regiment. I think it was Battery I> 
 Second Illinois Light Artillery. Almost every day we wit- 
 nessed a duel between the Illinois boys and a Confcdrate bat- 
 tery in their front, v.'hich was a good one, too. From their 
 
 16 
 
ARTILLERY DUELS. 
 
 positions, both sides had a fair range. Sometimes our boys 
 would stand on the rifle pits and watch the effect of the shots 
 from the Illinois battery. More than once we saw shells 
 burst among the Confederate gunners and occasionally one 
 of their shells exploded near the guns of the Illinois boys. 
 One day a puff of smoke, from the battery across the field, 
 shot out straight toward oar regiment. One of our soldiers 
 yelled, "Down," aud down we went into the trench just in 
 time to hear the s-w-i-s-h of the shell, which barely missed 
 the "headlog" of our rifle pits and exploded a hundred feet 
 in our rear. Our sudden change of position was fun for the 
 Johnnies, who gave us the rebel yell. Another day, when the 
 men across the way were directing their shots at our regiment, 
 a shot hit the ground in our front and, bounding up, passed 
 over us into the cax)tain's tent, destroying the ledger con- 
 tainingthe clothing account of every member of Company F, 
 I believe we were on same line and were eating dinner one 
 day when that mischievous battery opened up for business. 
 
 "Dick" Eastman moved his coffee pot, frying pan and en- 
 tire outfit into the trench, remarking: Now, let 'em shoot 
 their cannon." Before Dick finished his dinner, a shot 
 struck the end of the head-log aud as it went down it carried 
 about one half a cubic yard of loose earth into the trench. 
 
 We thought Dick was a gonner, but a moment later he came 
 out covered with Greorgia soil and minus a coffee pot and fry- 
 ing pan. He was greeted with such a shout of laughter, and 
 Dick was so thoroughly disgusted with the whole af- 
 fair that he did not even smile as he brushed the soil from 
 his whiskers. It was a busy time, indeed, when the boys fail- 
 ed to see something funny. 
 
 Letters from Home. 
 
 Those August days when we were fighting for Atlanta were 
 
 47 
 
LETTERS FROM HOME— SWAPPING. 
 
 not all bright days. The path of Sherman from Ringgold to 
 Atlanta and Jonesbore was marked with graves of our com- 
 rades, some of whom were schoolboys with the writer up in 
 Ohio,"Gods country," as the boys reverently named the North. 
 We had not received a penny of our pay since we re enlist- 
 ed as veterans, almost eight months before. But the mail 
 from "Gods country," came to us away down in that war 
 scourged state. The letters from home were laden with paren- 
 tal solicitude for the boy who was fighting the battles of his, 
 country. How we prized those messages of love, which sel- 
 dom omitted the kindly admonition: "Be brave, obey your of- 
 ficers, be true to your country and may God bless and keep 
 you." I believe that the soldier who had no home people to 
 write letters of affection and encouragement to him in the six- 
 ties, and who still did his duty as a faithful soldier deserves 
 more praise then he who was thus favored. But fathers, 
 mothers and children were not the only persons who wrote 
 letters to the boys. Almost every soldier who could sign his 
 name could boast of a lady correspondent some place up North, 
 and if closely watched, would often be caught looking at a 
 tintype picture carried in the inside pocket of the blue blouse 
 and inspected only on rare occasions when the soldier was 
 alone. Those noble, loyal girls in the North were important 
 factors in that war for the Union. 
 
 Swapping, 
 
 Some may marvel that so much space in this little book is 
 devoted to the writer's experience on the skirmish line. I 
 have passed without mention the heavy battles of Resaca, 
 Kenesaw Mountain and others of less note, because the read- 
 er can pick up any reliable history of that war and find a 
 detailed account of those engagements. Further than a few 
 
 48 
 
SWAPPING. 
 
 incidents said to have occured on the skirmish lines in front 
 of our armies, I never read much about the men who stood 
 next to the enemy day and night, in sunshine and storm. 
 Official reports and newspaper accounts of the Atlanta cam- 
 paign scarcely mention the boys out in front of the battle 
 lines. The fact that officers of high rank and press corres- 
 pondents very seldom visited the boys out in front, fully ex- 
 plains the cause of said omission. Once, during the siege of 
 Atlanta, General A. Baird, our division commander, came 
 out on the line where the writer was stationed. We of the 
 rank and file had arranged a temporary truce for that day. 
 
 Our line officers on duty were glad enough to have a cessa- 
 tion of hostilities for a few hours. The blue and the gray 
 were mixing up between the lines. One group of four, two 
 Yanks and two Johnnies, were playing a game of cardp. 
 Others were swapping coffee for tobacco. One-fourth of our 
 number were between the lines, visiting and trading with the 
 Johnnies Not a man came to attention nor offered the mil- 
 itary salute as the general approached the skirmish line. Here 
 I will state that general Baird was very popular among the 
 soldiers. He had the confidence and respect of his men, but 
 those; were not the days of "dress parade." Almost every 
 day of that campaign the men on our skirmish lines witnessed 
 acts of cool bravery, whicli would have won a medal of honor 
 and honorable mention by the president of the United States 
 if the same had been brought to the notice of Mr. Lincoln; 
 hence our general had a profound resjject for the boys on 
 duty along the front of the army. 
 
 Making some inquiry of the officer commanding our part 
 of the line, general Baird seemed pleased with conditions 
 and, after talking further with the officer, returned to the 
 main line. 
 
 49 
 
SVVAPPING-A DEAD BUSHWIIACKEE. 
 
 Our commanding officer gave orders to commence lireing 
 on the enem}' at the sound of the bugle. Meanwhile the con- 
 ference between the lines went on. Yanks and Johnnies 
 were discussing the war, and our boys were trading coffee, 
 pepper and salt for tobacco or any old thing the Johnnies 
 had to trade. When the clear notes of the bugle, back on the 
 battle line, sounded "commence fireing," and one of our men 
 shouted, "Hunt your holes. Johnnies," there was fun for 
 about two minutes. No doubt several important business 
 transactions stopped then and there, as the blue and gray 
 instantly separated and made frantic efforts to reach their 
 respective "gopher holes" before actual hostiliiies should 
 begin. In obedience to orders, as soon as the last Johnnie 
 had vanished we opened a brisk fire from our linf , to which 
 they responded with a vim that picvt d they were still in the 
 fight. The fireing on our side began to slacken and the other 
 side began to slow up. A Confederate called out, "Is that all, 
 Yanks?" Being assured that was all, they took our word 
 for it and within a few minutes the men of both sides were 
 again walking about, without arms, as though nothing had 
 occurred to interrupt our friendly relations. 
 
 In connection with the above incident, I give a few lines 
 of "A Veteran's Addres-s to Father Time," written in 1888 by 
 Sergeant Harry AJspaugh of Company H, 81st Ohio. Com- 
 rade Alspaugh died a year later at Kock Eapids, Iowa. 
 "Father Time, give us a glimpse of the muskets and sabers, 
 
 With the shot and the shell and the boys in the gray. 
 With whom we oft' swapjjed while on picket, like neighbors. 
 
 Then shot at each other like demons next day." 
 
 A Dead Bushwhacker. 
 
 Horace S. Colver a member of Co. F was on duty at brig- 
 
 50 
 
A DEAD BUSHWHACKER. 
 
 ade headquarter, during the Atlanta campaign, and is author- 
 ity for the following: While Sherman's army was pounding 
 away at the Gate City of the South, in August 1864, a few 
 wagons, under a strong guard, were sent by the brigade quar- 
 termaster, to bring in green corn, which was then in hard 
 roasting ear. Colver was one of the train guards- Some 
 miles out, they crossed a small stream beyond which was a 
 field of corn. Before the wagons were loaded with snapped 
 corn, a storm came up and the rain fell until the little creek 
 was out of its banks, The stream was too deep to think of 
 crossing with the loaded wagons until the waters went down. 
 The officer-commanding the guard called for a soldier to 
 swim the stream and carry a message back to the commander. 
 Colver was the only one to volunteer. He was among the 
 best long distance swimmers in the regiment. Wrapping his 
 clothing around his gun and acoutrements and securing the 
 bundle on the back of his head he reached the opposite shore 
 some distance down st»ream. Hastily dressing he trudged along 
 barefooted under the August sun, which with the sharp sand 
 was too much for his barefeet. On a seat in front of a cabin 
 at the roadside Vv'as an old woman. Colver spoke to her, and 
 seating himself near the old lady, began to wring his stock- 
 ings and and ask questions, The aged Georgian was evidently 
 suspicious until Colver gave her a handfull of unground 
 coffee. The coffee acted like magic, she seemed to know that 
 Yankee soldiers were the only persons at that time who car- 
 ried genuine coffee. Her story was a thrilling one as she an- 
 swered the numerous questions of the Yankee soldier. Two 
 small boys were hanging around trying to size up the stran- 
 ger who carried genuine coffee, and each of the lads were pre- 
 sented with a handfull of the luxury. The boys were her grand- 
 children, and the family was known amftng (heir neighbors 
 
 51 
 
A DEAD BUSHWHACKER. 
 
 as being opposed to secession, and for llio Union. The hus- 
 band and son, the later was the father of the two boys, had 
 "hid out" to avoid the Confederate conscripting officers. 
 
 One day her husband took his ax and his shot gun to a 
 "clearing" which she pointed out to her soldier visitor, who 
 was now all attention. During the forenoon she heard the 
 report of a gun from that direction and hastening to the 
 clearing, she found her husband dead. Some time after the 
 death of the father, her sou went as usual to the spring for 
 water. The mother heard a shot fired and running to the 
 spring found her boy had been shot down. "I raised him up a 
 little, and he died with his head in my lap," said the mother. 
 "Who killed your husband and son, or do you know?" asked 
 Colver. "Yes, indeed, I know." "Was he a rebel soldierT" 
 "No, sir, it was Abe Oilman alow down coward and bush- 
 whacker; I saw him skulking through the brush when I found 
 my dead husband." "Do you know where he is now?" The 
 older lad, said, "Yes, grandma, I seen Abe up at the corners, 
 'totherday." The woman's bony hand pointed at the boy, and 
 her sunken eyes almost snapped fire, as she hissed: "Kill him 
 the first chance you get." The boy had brought out a shot- 
 gun of ancient pattern, that he was cleaning. He told Colver 
 they could not get powder, and asked about the amunition the 
 Yankees used. To please the boys Colver gave them a few 
 cartridges, showing them how the ball could be detached from 
 the paper holding the powder. The older lad emptied the 
 powder of a Springfield cartridge into the barrel of the old 
 gun, and Colver warned them against loading too heavy. 
 
 (jiving the woman the rest of his coffee, he was about to 
 move on when the woman asked which way he was going. 
 He said back to the line in front of Atlanta. "If Abe sees 
 you, he will kill you sure; the boys seen him not long ago; you 
 
 r>9 
 
A DEAD BUSHWHACKER. 
 
 better look out." With her words of warning in mind he 
 kept a sharp lookout. The sand hurt his feet, and remember- 
 ing the old lady's warning, he left the traveled road and going 
 into a brushy growth of timber, from where he could see the 
 road, put his shoes and stockings on. From his place of 
 concealment he saw a man step into the road from the timber 
 on the opposite side, about one hundred yards from the point 
 where Colver left the road. The man was in citizen's dress 
 and carried a shot gun, and was watching the place where 
 Colver had struck out into the timber. The later, placing a 
 fresh caj) on his Springfield and passing through the brueh 
 stepped into the road, and leveling his musket at the man or- 
 dered him to throw down his gun. The fellow dropped his 
 shotgun and was still looking into the muzzle of Colver's gun 
 when the sharp report of a gun close by led him to believe that 
 he was fired at by a companion of the stranger. For an in- 
 stant he was dazed, then he saw the man lying dead in the 
 road, and the two boys to whom Colver had given the car- 
 tridges came out of the wood.s repeating, "We got him, we 
 got him." "Who is he?" asked Colver. "Abe Gilman," said the 
 older boy, "the low down pup that shot pap and graudpap." 
 The older boy put a load into the old shot gun and fired it 
 into the body of the bushwacker. The younger boy run home 
 to tell the news of Abe's death. After drawing the loads from 
 the dead man's gun, which was a modern double barrel shot 
 gun, Colver presented it to the lad v.'ho was so delighted 
 that he se(mied to forget the wrelch he had sent into eternity 
 <nily a few moments before. Meantime the other boy who 
 h<id carried the news to the c;iVjLti at the road side, returned 
 with his grandmother and a woman much younger, win) prov- 
 ed to bo the m'>ther of the two boy.s, but had not made her ap- 
 pearance while Colver was resliug at th(; hounn. The .^ight 
 
 5;5 
 
A DEAD BUSHWHACKER -THE DEADLINE. 
 
 of the dead bushwhacker seemed to enrage both women be- 
 yond desoription. They stood over his ghastly corpse cursing 
 him as the cowardly brute who had murdered their husbands, 
 the father and son, and by his acts both were left widows 
 witli two fatherless boys. To Colver's inquiry as to what sliould 
 be done with the body, the old lady said they would drag it 
 away from the road, pile brush and logs on it and set fire to 
 the pile. 
 
 Young Colver delivered the message at headquarters, and 
 the wagons came in the following day. Mr. Colver is no long- 
 er a young man, but he has not forgotten the tragic death of 
 the Georgia bushwacker who, doubtless, was laying in wait for 
 the Yankee soldier, when the latter left the road to put his 
 shoes on, and had he not chanced to visit th<it humble home 
 perhaps "Abe" would have lived to relate how he got th© 
 drop onto one of Sherman's men, and the military record of 
 Horace S. Colver would read something like this: ''Reported 
 missing in front of Atlanta, Ga., August, 18G4. Nu further 
 record found." 
 
 The Dead Line, 
 
 Just before dark on the evening of August 7, ISGi, our regi- 
 ment formed outside of the works and advanced, making a 
 right half wheel, until the left of the regiment joined the 
 right of the regular brigade, which had advanced during the 
 afternoon. We built rifle pits within a hundred yards of the 
 enemy's skirmish line. At 10 o'clock that night the Confed- 
 erates advanced and for a half hour it was liot work, and the 
 fireing was kept up all night. I did not see a Johnnie, but 
 kept busy shooting at the flashes of their guns. That night 
 and during the following days that we held that position we 
 lost many of our boys, and it was known ever afterwards as 
 
 54 
 
THE DEAD LINE. 
 
 the "dead line." 
 
 The night ot Augu-st 7, was a trying ordeal for the Slat. 
 To me there was terror in the sound of a S^-ealiber ritle 
 ball tired from a point two or three hundred feet away, as it 
 IDassed my head, but it was fierce to hear one as it struck the 
 quivering flesh of a comrade. When morning came we were 
 partly protected by earthwork, but we lost about twenty men 
 killed and wounded. Sergeants Talbot, of Co. G, and Mc- 
 Broom, of Co. B, were among the killed, and Capt Barber 
 severely wounded "Billy" William s was standing in the 
 trench, near the writer, when a ball struck his head. Billy 
 was the leading tenor of our quartet. I helped to carry his 
 body to a knoll in the rear of the main lino, where we found 
 a number of newly made graves. We prepared the grave, 
 wrapped the body in his own blanket and laid him away to 
 rest. You may think it was a rough burial, but we did the 
 very best we could do. There was no time for ceremony, nor 
 f(jr eulogy of the dead soldier. There was no farwell salute 
 by a squad of soldiers. The sound of Confederate shells as 
 they came over from the enemy was the only requiem sung at 
 Billy's funeral. Sergeant H. N. Simmons of Co. F, with his 
 pen-knife, carved the name, company, and regiment on a 
 board taken from a cracker box. This board was placed at 
 the grave. 
 
 A few days after the events just related, we were again on 
 the "dead line" and found a stream of water in a ravine be- 
 tween the lines. By mutual agreement the soldiers on both 
 sides tilled their camp kettles an<l canteens at this running 
 stream. In the Confederate ranks were soldiers who at heart 
 were "Union men," and had been forced to enlist in the rebel 
 nnny. During the days last mentioned our boys induced six 
 or seven of the men they had met at the stream to quit the 
 
TO JONESBOKO. 
 stare and bars and come inside our line.s under tlie 
 old flag. The followiug days no Confederates came to that 
 ravine for water. 
 
 To Jonesboro. 
 
 About the time Sherman was preparing to "silently fold 
 his tents and steal away" to Jonesboro, a funny incident was 
 related by Sergeant Harry Alspaugh, of Co. H, who was on 
 the skirmish line at the time of this occurrence: 
 
 "It was near midnight and our friends in gray were chang- 
 ing outpost sentinels every two hours. Neitlier side had 
 fired a shot all day, although the troops on our right and loft 
 kept up a regular fusilade. A Confedei'ate corporal and his 
 relief guard missed their bearings and were coming close to 
 our line. One of our boys" called out: 
 
 "Halt! Who comes there? 
 
 Promptly came the answer in Southern accents: 
 
 "Cohporal of the relief gueard." 
 
 "Go back and relieve your own men; we are Ohio troops." 
 
 The astonished corporal muttered something about getting 
 into the Yankee lines, and hustled liis "gueard" back to their 
 own lines." 
 
 Before duybreak, about August 27, we left our trenches 
 and marched back to a wagon road which was filled with 
 marching soldiers. Here we waited the passing of the troops, 
 and we of the ranks and file realized that it was a new move 
 of Sherman's to get Hood out of Atlanta. "Silence" was the 
 order. I recall the suspense of waiting, and in spite of orders, 
 there was a distinct hum of conversation along the marching 
 column. I thought of the rebel battery in front of the tronclios 
 we had just left, and was trying hard to not think about the 
 effect of a few shells from that battery thrown into the mass 
 
 5(*. 
 
TO JONESBORO— BACK TO ALABAMxi. 
 
 of soldiers grouped along the road. But the enemy, it appears, 
 did not suspect any such a move and we felt a sense of relief 
 when we got our place in the marching column. While on 
 the march to Jonesboro the story got out about Sherman warn- 
 ing the officers that the soldiers should not be permitted to 
 pay such high prices for chickens. We lived well on the stuff 
 that came in our way. The last night of August our brigade 
 got to the Macon railroad and made rifle pits in the form of a 
 square, and destroyed the track for some distance. No more 
 trains went south from Atlanta over that part of the Macon 
 railroad until the close of the war. The position we held that 
 night was known as " the bull pen." 
 
 On the afternoon of September 1, the army assaulted and 
 captured the enemy's intrenchments at Jonesboro. 
 
 It is said that a Dutchman of the 14th Ohio jumped into 
 the rifle pit among the Confederates and, throwing aside his 
 gun, began knocking them right and left with his fists, and 
 shouting, "Mine Gott, I have no patience mit you." Our 
 division lost heavily in this battle, which ended the great 
 Atlanta campaign. 
 
 Back to Alabama 
 
 After enjoying a rest of almost a month in camp near Atlan- 
 ta, the 14th army corps got into the chase after Hood, who was 
 moving his army north. We were not far from Kenesaw 
 mountain when Sherman signaled the famous message from 
 Kenesaw to General Corse at Altoona: "Hold the fort, I am 
 coming." We skirmished with Hoods rear guard through 
 Snake Creek gap and across Taylor's ridge. The Confederates 
 were short on rations as shown by the chewed stalks of sugar 
 cane which littered their camps. Crossing the line into Ala- 
 bama we passed through a rich country, which had so far es- 
 
 57 
 
BACK TO ALABAMA— MARCHING THRO' GEORGIA 
 caped the ravages of war. Corn, sweet potatoes, fresh pork 
 and beef were our bill of fare. 
 
 At one plantation, three daughters mounted on three large 
 mules were lined up near the road, grimly watching the pass- 
 ing army of blue coats The girls were notliomely, and their 
 scheme worked all right. Sherman's men did not get papa's 
 three mules. Starting south figiiin toward Atlanta we hoofed 
 it over the greater part of the route, the third time within 
 five months. There was nothing funny going on in our camp 
 the night we reached Kingston, Ga., in a drenching Novem- 
 ber rain, and could not find enough dry wood to start fires. 
 
 Marching Through Georgia. 
 
 The regiment held its election November, 18(54. Every 
 sojfjier was absolutely free to vote the ticket of his choice 
 Abraham Lincoln received 205 votes and George B Mc- 
 Clellan 16 votes. McClellan whs formerly the commander of 
 the Potomac army, but Lincoln was "Father Abraham," be- 
 loved and honored by the soldiers of the Union army. Gen- 
 eral Sherman's order, dated Nov, 9, 18(54, describing the 
 order in which the army was to march from 
 Atlanta southward was read to the regiment, and I recall the 
 splendid spirit shown by the soldiers and how enthusiastic 
 we were. Although the order did not name the place of our 
 destination, we had such faith in Siierman, that we were sure 
 of success when our colors pointed south from Atlanta on the 
 Ifith day of November, 18G4. After the last train went north 
 from Kingston and we began destroying the railroad on Nov- 
 ember 12, from the latter place to Atlanta, the humblest pri- 
 vate understood that the next letter to reach him would 
 travel by some route other then "via Chattanaoga and 
 Atlanta." 
 
 <58 
 
MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA. 
 
 Two days out from Atlanta, November 18th, we first heard 
 through an old native of Georgia that Lincoln was elected 
 president. 
 
 Passing through the little town of Covington, I remember 
 a crippled Confederate soldier was among the few bystanders. 
 One of the boys called to him, "Hello, pard; what regi- 
 ment?" The soldier gave the number, " — Jawjay, sab," and 
 gave us the military salute. 
 
 We became very proficient in the work of destroying rail- 
 road. The railroads of the south were, as a rule, in poor con- 
 dition. The old fashioned slot, or chair, was used to connect 
 the ends of the rails. The regiment, and oftimes the brigade, 
 formed in line near tlie track and "stacked arras," and at a 
 signal the men would seize the ends of the ties and turn the 
 long line of rails and ties topsy turvy. Various plans were 
 employed to draw the spikes. We had nothing but picks, 
 shovels and axes, and these would not aid us in tearing up the 
 track. 
 
 But the men always got the rails loose from the ties. Thir- 
 ty or forty ties were piled up and a fire started. The rails 
 were placed on the burning ties as one would balance a plank 
 across a board fence for a see saw. When the rails became 
 red hot the ends settled to the ground. When time would 
 l^ermit and forest trees were close by, two men at each end of 
 he rail would carry it to a tree, and bend the middle of the rail 
 around the tree, as you would bend wire around a fence post. 
 I have seen green trees more than a foot in diameter half 
 burned off by this girdling process. 
 
 In this conection I will record an experience of Uriah 
 Cahill, a member of Co. F. Only a few years after the close 
 of the war, Mr. Cahill was at Savannah, Ga. He did not think 
 it worth while to tell the people there that he went with Sher- 
 
 59 
 
MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA, 
 umii through Georgia. Boarding at the same hotel were a 
 number of young men. 
 
 In their conversation one day a young man from central 
 Georgia told of seeing many iron rails twisted around trees 
 like ropes, and the railroad conductor said that was done by 
 Sherman's men. The young man said it was a mystery to him 
 as to how Sherman's men managed to coil iron rails around 
 trees and the others could not explain the matter. Mr. Ca. 
 hill could have given them the desired information, but he 
 seemed to have no interest in the subject of their conversation. 
 
 One of the pany whose home was in the path of Sherman's 
 march, told of his mother sending him to the mill with a few 
 bushels of corn. 
 
 He was driving the family horse, harnessed to a one-horse 
 wagon, and felt secure because he was too young for conscrip- 
 ting officers to "press" into the military service. A force of 
 Confederate cavalry was passing him when one of the soldiers 
 dismounted from an old blind horse, remarking: "Here, boy, 
 I want that boss," and leaving the blind animal rode away 
 on the family horse. He harnessed up the old horse and was 
 driving toward the mill when lie was overtaken by a company 
 of Yankee cavalry and one of the number said, "Here, boy, I 
 want that horse." The horse was unharnessed and taken 
 away. The young man said, 'I hung the harness on the 
 fence and footed it back home." The other fellows laughed 
 at the story, but it is a safe conclusion that the boy did not 
 got much fun out of his experience with Wheeler's and Kil- 
 patrick's troops at the time of the occurrence. 
 
 We passed through a beautiful country, and lived on the 
 fat of the land. The guerillas, or bushwackers, murdered 
 many of our men who were away from our line of march, 
 foraging for supplies. Before reaching Milledgeville, hun- 
 
 CO 
 
MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA, 
 dreds of negroes were flocking after us, on foot, in old wag- 
 ons, in carta and in ancient family vehicles. Poor mortals, 
 not one of them ever drew a disloyal breath. I seen wagons 
 filled with negro women and children, their wooly heads 
 showing up among feather beds and straw-ticks like so 
 many black kittens in a rag basket. Many of the women 
 walked, carrying their household goods. 
 
 "Where are you going, auntie?" we asked a portly wom- 
 an with a huge bundle on her head. "I dunno." was the 
 reply, "I'm just gwine along with you all." The sim^Dle 
 faith of those black people in the soldiers who marched un- 
 der the stars and stripes was really pathetic. 
 
 We saw many Codfederate soldiers who were crippled for 
 life, and in every instance, so far as I can remember, they 
 were treated courteously. 
 
 One day a mounted orderly, belonging to headquarters, 
 got off his horse and rushing into a shanty was looking for 
 siuoked bacon. A large vat of sorghum molasses, sunk in the 
 ground, was covered with boards. He stepped on the boards 
 which broke and the fellow went into molasses up to his hips. 
 When dragged out he was a comical sight. His high top 
 boots were full and running over, and his long overcoat was 
 dripping a trail of molasses as he led his horse away. 
 
 We stopped at Milledgeville one day. Some officers of the 
 20th army corps organized a mock legislature in the state 
 house. General J. S. Robinson, of Kenton, Ohio ,was chosen 
 speaker of the house. They had a high old time in the same 
 hall which was so suddenly vacated the previous day by the 
 Georgia lawmakers. 
 
 While marching through one town the boys went into the 
 postoffice and inquired for their mail. 
 
 Foraging parties, commanded by officers detailed for that 
 purpose, were mounted on captured horses and mules. Wag- 
 
 01 
 
MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA, 
 ons were with every regular foraging party, and they were 
 loaded with meat, sweet potatoes and other food. The fat 
 hogs were driven to the point v/hore the troops camped for 
 the night. From Covington to Milledgeville it was not un- 
 usual to see a few fat hogs and a wagon load of sweet 
 potatoes left at the camp of the previous night. But the 
 country beyond the Capitol City was less productive. Before 
 we reached Savannah, we "Longed for the flesh pots of 
 Egypt." 
 
 Baird's division was sent to the support of Kilpatrick, oif 
 toward Augusta. Again we passed through a good country 
 and lived well. Our division marched through Waynesboro 
 in support of the cavalry who had driven Wheeler's cavalry 
 through the town. A woman was kneeling over the dead 
 body of a Confederate cavalryman; perhaps it was her 
 husband. 
 
 General Joe Wheeler has, in recent years, been rated as one 
 of the ablest cavalry leaders of either side in the Civil war. 
 From personal knowledge of some of his campaigns I should 
 rate him in a class below such soldiers as Jddson Kilpatrick. 
 Wheeler seldom, if ever, boldly attacked an equal number of 
 Union cavalry under a competent leader. His brilliant ex- 
 ploits were chiefly in rapid marches across a country of 
 which every mile was familiar to many of his troopers, and 
 in burning feebly guarded wagon trains and capturing small 
 garrisons along railroads, and thus making the job of burning 
 railroad bridges and long lines of wooden trestle work a com- 
 paratively easy task. 
 
 When Sherman's army reached Savannah many of the 
 soldiers wore clothing of many colors, like Joseph's coat. 
 At Milledgeville, Ga , I swapped a crownless hat for an old 
 fashioned silk plug hat. It was the plug hat or a gray butter- 
 
 G2 
 
xMARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA, 
 uut, so I took the former. My blue trousers were hanging on 
 the ragged edge, so I paid a forager |2.00 for trousers of gray 
 and black plaid; the stripes were very wide. It was a swell 
 garment, and must have belonged to the Sunday suit of some 
 young southerner. It was with some misgivings that I cast 
 aside the blue trousers, which had done good service for 
 many months, and put on the heavy plaid cassimeres, made 
 after the fashion that prevailed among well dressed men of 
 that period. They, the trousers, were made very small in 
 the legs almost to the ankle, where they expanded to such 
 dimensions that they almost covered my shoes. Many soldiers 
 wore citizen's clothing on that march, but I think there was 
 only one stovepipe hat in our brigade. It was really annoy- 
 ing to be away from the company on that march. 
 
 If I happened to leave the column to fill my canteen I was 
 greeted with something like this, "Hello, Chaplain, where do 
 you preach next Sunday?" "Look at his feet," etc. The hat 
 was rain- proof, and the trousers were much warmer than the 
 regulation blue. The first Sunday in Savannah brought the 
 long neglected brigade inspection, and our inspector smiled 
 audibly when he came to my place in the company. In the 
 first "draw" of government clothing, the plug hat and plaid 
 trousers went to a colored man, who seemed to think he had 
 struck it rich. 
 
 Anderson ville 
 
 When Sherman started south from Atlanta, we of the rank 
 and file, supposed one of the army corps and Kilpatrick'a 
 calvary would reach our starving comrades at Anderson ville, 
 Ga. But the right of our army had hardly reached Macon 
 when our boys were hastily transferred from Andersonville to 
 other southern prisons. We did not know until after the 
 
 03 
 
ANDERSONVILLE. 
 close of the war that General Sherman, himself, was so de- 
 termined to accomplish what his men were so anxious to 
 have done. 
 
 In a letter written to Mr. James E. Yateman of the United 
 States sanitary commission, dated May 21, 18()5, General 
 Sherman said: "I don't think I ever set my heart so strongly 
 in any one thing as I did in attempting to rescue those pris- 
 oners at Andersonville, and I almost feared instead of doing 
 them good I had actually done them harm, for they were 
 changed from place to place to avoid me and I could not with 
 infantry overtake railroad trains. But at last their prison 
 doors are open." 
 
 I remember it was a matter of regret among the soldiers 
 that we of Sherman's army could not rescue them from that 
 loathsome stockade, the story of which will ever be a reproach 
 to our boasted civilization. 
 
 I will digress, and give the reader a few facts concerning 
 conditions at Andersonville prison. These are accepted as 
 facts because they were written by one who survived the hor- 
 rors of that place. About the year 1880, it was stated on the 
 floor of Congress, that Andersonville was no worse than 
 northern military prisons. In reply to the above, a com- 
 rade who spent the greater part of the year 186-1 in the stock- 
 ade at Andersonville, wrote the following: 
 
 "The man who speaks of Andersonville as no worse than 
 northern military prisons can never comprehend what An- 
 dersonville was. 
 
 "He can never be made to understand the horrors of that 
 dread jDlace, where a seething mass of humanity festered and 
 rotted beneath the rays of southern sun; where corruption 
 was in the air and men were food for worms long before they 
 were dead. No pen can paint the terrible sights that greeted 
 
 ()I 
 
ANDERSONVILLE. 
 
 ones eyes everywhere they turned; of men's gums protruding 
 beyond their mouths and teeth dropping from their jaws, 
 or limbs twisted into horrible shapes and swollen until the 
 skin glistened; of hundreds with their mouths eaten away 
 with canker; of the fearful array of dead which every morn- 
 ing laid by the gates, with drawn faces, distorted Hmbs and 
 staring eyes. If a poet wished to depict, as Dante did, the 
 tortures of the dammed in the Inferno, a visit to the gangrene 
 ward of the hospital at Andersonville would have left little 
 for the imagination to supply. There he would have found 
 several hundred men whose tissues were being devoured by 
 the virus of gangreene. Hands and feet were rotting off, or 
 else mortification had begun under the skin of the back, and 
 was rapidly eating away the soft tissues between the epider- 
 mis and the ribs; agonizing shrieks and groans went up con- 
 stantly, but when at intervals, the attendants made their 
 rounds and drenched the sores with solutions of blue vitrol 
 in the vain hope of stopping the sloughing, the outcries were 
 sufficient to appall the heart of the strongest. We think it 
 not over-estimating the case to say there was more actual 
 misery in that single ward than in all the prisons of the 
 north combined; and in the utter needlessness of having such 
 misery occur, consists much of the deep damnation of the 
 guilt of those resj)onsible for Andersonville." 
 
 John McElroy, (in the Toledo Blade). 
 The same author, who is the present editor of the National 
 Tribune, in his book "Andersonville" says: "A few wagon 
 loads of roasting ears and sweet potatoes would have banish- 
 ed every trace of scurvy from the camp and healed up the 
 wasting dysentery and saved thousands of lives. Any day 
 the Confederates had chosen, they could have gotten a thou- 
 sand volunteers, who would have given their solemn parole 
 
 n5 
 
ANDERSONVILLE— ACROSS THE CAROLINAS. 
 not to escape, and gone any distance in the country to gather 
 the potatoes and corn, and such other vegetables as were 
 readily obtainable and bring them into the prison. Whatever 
 else may be said in defense of the southern management of 
 military prisons, the permitting seven thousand Union 
 soldiers to die of scurvy in the summer of 1804, in the midst 
 of an agricultural reigon filled with all manner of green 
 vegetation, must forever remain impossible of explanation." 
 
 Andersonville is not a subject one cares to revive, but in 
 view of the recent attempt to perpetuate the memory of 
 Capt. Wirz as a hero of the "lost cause," I am prompted to 
 reproduce the foregoing facts as to the conditions existing 
 at the prison, which was under the management of this same 
 Wirz. The terrible punishment visited upon our Union sol- 
 diers at Andersonville by brutal starvation, the stocks and the 
 chain gang, outrivaled the diabolical torture of their white 
 prisoners by the American Indians in the seventeenth 
 century. 
 
 Across the Carolinas. 
 
 Leaving Savannah, Ga., about January 20, 1865, we march- 
 ed up the south bank of the Savannah river to Sisters Ferry, 
 The river was on a rampage and water covered the bottom 
 lands on the South Carolina side. We camped there until we 
 could cross over with our artillery and wagons. The Georgia 
 farmers would drive into our camps with oysters by the bar- 
 rel. I do not remember the jDrice per gallon, but to us, who 
 had been paying fifty cents for a measly little can of cove 
 oysters, the price asked for a gallon was a nominal sum. We 
 had sent our money home, when paid off at Kingston in Nov- 
 ember, but our mess wanted oysters and wanted them mighty 
 bad. My faithful bunkmate, A. I. Higgins, called a meeting 
 
 66 
 
ACROSS THE CAROLINS. 
 of the members of the mess, namely, A. I. nigoins. T. M. 
 Beathard, L. F. Wade and the writer. Comrade Higgins 
 projDosed trading liis old watch for a gallon of oysters, if the 
 dealer would pay him three or four dollars to boot. The rest 
 of us agreed to even up on the expense, the next pay day. 
 Higgins could not induce the Georgian to trade that way, 
 and rather than miss a mess of those large fresh fellows, he 
 traded the watch for twelve gallons — as he put it, "took it all 
 in oysters." It required all the mess pans and coffee cans we 
 could borrow in Co. F. to hold the oysters. Some of the 
 utensils were loaned for our use only until time to cook the 
 next meal, but Higgins was equal to the emergency, and suc- 
 ceeded in borrowing some camp kettles of the teamsters, pay- 
 ing the rent in oysters. We entertained our friends, regard- 
 less of expense, and for a few days "put on airs to beat the 
 band." 
 
 While passing through the Carolinas we gathered 
 the "fat" pine knots for our evening camp fires, and for 
 cooking purposes. The pine logs had long since decayed 
 leaving the knots which were glazed with resin. The black 
 smoke from the burning knots would stick to the faces of the 
 soldiers hovering around the fires^ until we sometimes bore a 
 striking resemblance to the troops that stormed Fort Wagner. 
 One morning in February we stood for an hour around the 
 fires, before taking our place in the marching column. About 
 the time we were started for the day's march a mounted of- 
 ficer, who was trying to reach the head of our column, in- 
 quired, "What troops are these?" Some comrade promptly 
 answered, "General Foster's troops." It was reported that 
 Foster commanded a force of colored troops which would co- 
 operate with Sherman's army. As the officer passed I took 
 note of the faces near me, and, no mistake, the complexion 
 
 67 
 
ACROSS THE CAROLINAS. 
 
 did not correBpond with the color given on the muster-in 
 rolls of Company F. 
 
 It was a fearful winter campaign. Our brigade, now com- 
 manded by Col. M. C. Hunter, built many miles of corduroy 
 road. Once, on that march, it rained steady for almost a week. 
 One morning a six-mule team stalled before getting out of the 
 field where we had camped. The mules were unhitched and 
 a long "picket rope" was brought out, the ends of which 
 were fastened to the front axle of the wagon and about sixty 
 of the 31st, at a given signal hauled the loaded wagon into 
 the road. It was a practical demonstration of the fact that ten 
 men could pull a greater load through soft ground than one 
 mule could draw. The crossing of the Catawba river was 
 made under great difficulties. The river was booming high 
 and the swift current had twice broken our pontoon bridge. 
 The night was pitch dark and Wheeler was pushing our rear 
 guard. Great bonfires were kept burning at each end of the 
 bridge, General Baird stood at the south end of the pon- 
 toon. When a wagon was fairly on the planking, the mules 
 were unhitched and led across and ten men hauled the wagon 
 to the north side. I recall the scenes of that night. The 
 fires lighting up the pontoon bridge showed the teamsters 
 with their wagons as they came out of the dense darkness in- 
 to the fire light. The frightened mules crowding from each 
 side of the narrow passage, as the rushing waters surged 
 against the canvas covered boats, which rose and fell with the 
 flood and threatened the anchor ropes holding the structure 
 in line, the shouts of the men as they helped the teamsters up 
 the hill on the north side of the river, the shots of the rear 
 guard who were keeping VVheeler at a safe distance over on 
 the south side, the inky darkness of the night outside of the 
 space lighted by the huge fires, all formed a picture, which 
 
 ()8 
 
ACROSS THE CAROLINAS. 
 
 to put on canvas is beyond the skill of an}^ artist. 
 
 I remember as we were trudging along one night in North 
 Carolina, a soldier who seemed to have come from the rear of 
 our regiment and whs tramping along at the side of our 
 column, began to talk about where Kilpatrick was at that 
 time, and the distance to the roads on which the other army 
 corps were marching. Some of our boys got into conversa- 
 tion with the straggler and found that he was not thoroughly 
 posted as to the names of division and corps commanders in 
 Sherman's army. At last some one inquired the number of 
 his regiment. He gave the name of a regiment in our divi- 
 sion, and immediately disapj3eared in the darkness. The 
 boys concluded at once that one of Joe Johnson's spies had 
 been marcliing with us. 
 
 Our brigade was in advance when the army reached Fay- 
 otteville, North Carolina. As was often the case in that cam- 
 paign the mounted foragers had skirmished into the town 
 just ahead of us. The Fayetteville Observer was ''half out" and 
 the editor was "not in," but the copies of the unfinished is- 
 sue, which were the first newspa^^ers we had seen since cross- 
 ing the Savannah river, were distributed on short notice. 
 Here we saw General Sherman, the first time since leaving 
 Savannah. 
 
 Our bill of fare at Fayetteville was flour "flapjacks," ham 
 and eggs. As Comrade Higgins remarked at the time, "This 
 is too good to last very long" Within ten days from that 
 time we were living on mush cooked in open mess pans into 
 which a quantity of North Carolina sand had been sifted by 
 the March winds. I recall now just what that mush and 
 sand did for my teeth. 
 
 While on the march, one day, a little girl of perhaps ten 
 years came from a house wringing her little hands and cry- 
 
 ()9 
 
ACROSS THE CAROLIN AS.— HOMEWARD. 
 
 ing, "Soldiers, our house is burning." At least a hundred of 
 our regiment hastened to the dwelling, a snug frame, near 
 the road and found a log outbuilding on fire, in rear of the 
 dwelling. The intense heat from the burning pine logs, had 
 fired the pine siding of the dwelling. Willing hands threw 
 water against the dwelling and tore down the burning logs, 
 and in ten minutes the fire was out and we marched away 
 with many a "God bless, you, soldiers," from the mother and 
 child. 
 
 Homeward. 
 
 General Johnson surrendered his army to General Sher- 
 man April 20, 1865. Our army marched to Washington via 
 Richmond, Va. The second day out from Raleigh we passed 
 the residence of an old gentlemen who had a United States 
 flag floating from a high pole at the side of the road. We 
 heard the cheering of the soldiers before we could see the 
 flag. The North Carolinian, with hair and beard of several 
 years growth, stood near the flag pole, hat in hand, bowing 
 to the soldiers. He explained by saying when Ft. Sumpter 
 was fired upon, he made a vow that he would not shave nor 
 have his hair cut until he could hoist that flag and see it 
 wave over a united country. We gave the old man an ova- 
 tion and, with heads uncovered, marched under the flag. 
 
 The colored people along the line of march would gaze in 
 wonder at the long column of blue coats. Many of those 
 black people said we were the first Yankee soldiers to pass 
 through that country. It was a triumphant march for Sher- 
 man's men, but a sad home coming for the men who had been 
 with Lee and Johnson, and were then returning to their 
 homes. North of the Roanoke river an old colored man and 
 his wife were working in the field. I inquired, "Do you get 
 
 70 '■ 
 
HOMEWARD.— THE COW BELL. 
 
 pay for yoar work?" Both were astonished when told they 
 were no longer slaves, but were free. The old man said, "If 
 Lincoln did free us, we are still in slavery." We could not 
 convince them that the Emancipation Proclamation, with the 
 final defeat of the southern armies, gave absolute freedom to 
 the colored people in the south. In view of conditions since 
 that time in some parts of the south, the old man was not far 
 wrong. Although the brutal murder of President Lincoln 
 had aroused the indignation of Sherman's men, I do not recall 
 a single act of lawlessness on the part of our soldiers in the 
 entire march from Raleigh, N. C, to Washington. 
 
 The Cow Bell, 
 
 The reader must allow me to go back three years. During 
 the siege of Corinth, Miss., heavy picket lines were maintain- 
 ed in front of the intrenched lines of General Hallack's army, 
 but the skirmishers did not intrench as they did two years 
 later. In front of our brigade the tinkle of a cow bell was 
 heard night after night. It was a first-class imitation of a 
 bell strapped on the neck of a cow as she "browsed" among 
 the bushes. The men on outpost would discuss the matter, 
 some contending that the bell was carried by a bovine, while 
 others insisted it was a ruse of the enemy to get in close 
 proximity to our outposts. At that period in the war it was 
 a serious matter for a soldier on outpost to fire at random 
 during the night. A single shot on our picket line at night 
 would arouse the entire division. Two years afterwards the 
 sound of a cow bell near the line of outposts would have been 
 the signal for a volley of shots, which would not disturb the 
 men on the main line of battle. About the time the Confed- 
 erates evacuated Corinth, one of our soldiers found a cow bell 
 with a short hand strap. It was found between the outer 
 
 71 
 
cow BELL-CELEBRATING 4th.— CON. DUDE 
 lines of both armies. At that period of the war we had men 
 who would take chances in order to learn something about 
 the enemy, but I cannot imagine why that Confederate 
 "toted" a cow bell back and forth night after night in front 
 of our picket line. 
 
 Celebrating the Fourth of July, 1862, 
 
 After the evacuation of Corinth in 1862, General Buell's 
 army occupied tlie country east from Corinth, Miss., toward 
 Chattanooga, Tenn The division of General George H. 
 Thomas was at Tuscumbia, Ala., on the 4th day of July. 
 About noon a national salute was fired by a battery of six 
 guns, and Colonel M. B. Walker of the 31st Ohio made the 
 address. In the evening the division was massed at the 
 crossing of the two principal streets, where a stand had been 
 erected for the speakers. The flags of the twelve regiments 
 were grouped in a circle around the stand. Colonel Fry of 
 the 4th Ky. Inf. read the Declaration of Independence and 
 made a short address. Among the other speakers were Col, 
 J, B. Steadman, 14th Ohio; Col. Harlen of the 10th Ky; Col. 
 Connell of the 17th and Gen. Robert L. McCook of the 9tli. 
 Ohio, and I think. Major H. V. Boynton of the 35th Ohio. 
 
 A number of citizens were present, some of whom showed 
 some interest, but the greater number looked on in silence 
 and seemed to be angry that we should parade their streets 
 clad in our blue with a liberal display of the stars and stripes. 
 
 A Confederate Dude, 
 
 While camped at Tuscumbia, a Confederate Lieut. Col. 
 who resided in the village was at home as a paroled prisoner. 
 At that period of the war both sides paroled many prisoners. 
 The oflficer paraded the streets in full uniform with a colored 
 
 72 
 
A CONFEDERATE DUDE.— PEACH COBBLERS. 
 
 body servant tagging after him carrying a basktt to hold the 
 flowers presented to the officer by his lady admirers. A squad 
 of our soldiers were cleaning up the neglected streets of the 
 village one day, a task often imposed during General Buell's 
 day — and perhaps the boys raised more dust than was neces- 
 sary as the rebel officer was passing. So the dude proceeded to 
 give the boys a lecture on the superiority of an officer as com- 
 pared to a common soldier, using some profanity to emphasize 
 his remarks. This was too much for our boys, who dusted the 
 young dandy from head to foot, scattered the flowers broad- 
 cast and ordered him to stay indoors until he learned how to 
 address Northern gentlemen who were his superiors. The of 
 fleer had the matter presented to our brigade commander, 
 Gen. SchosfiP, who ordered the boys sent to the guard house 
 but they were soon released. 
 
 *'PeachCobbiers,'' 
 
 I am reminded of some good times at Tuscumbia, and es- 
 pecially of the immense "peach cobblers" baked in largo 
 mess pans. We had flour and sugar of our own, pork fry- 
 iugs made good "shortening" for the crust, milk could be 
 bought by the gallon and those, with a basket of large Ala- 
 bama peaches, made a feast, the memory of which lingered 
 with us to the last days of the rebellion. 
 
 Many times during the subsequent throe years, and espec- 
 ially when living on rice in front of Savannah and when eat- 
 ing sandy mush in North Carolina, some reckless comrade 
 would bo rash enough to mention something about an Ala- 
 bama "peach cobbler" only to be called down as a "blooming 
 chestnut." Public sentiment just at that time would not 
 stand for that sort of ancient history. 
 
 73 
 
Honor to Whom honor Is Due 
 
 As one of the humble survivors of the war of the rebellion, 
 which closed with the collapse of the so-called Southern Con- 
 federacy about forty-five years ago, I am glad to extend full 
 pardon to those who for four years tried to destroy the 
 government. But I de^^ply deplore the vicious sentiment 
 that has gained prominence in recent years and which has 
 been introduced into some of the school books of our 
 country, that the Southern rebellion was not an act of treas- 
 on, but a "War between the states." 
 
 Our leaders were Lincoln, Grant, Sherman, Thomas, grand 
 old "Pap" Thomas, Sheridan, Logan and others. Led by 
 them we conquered treason in its most hideous form and, 
 led by men who had received their education at our Na- 
 tional Military Academy at the expense of this government 
 and who had sworn eternal allegiance to the same govern- 
 ment that had supported them, they were defeated in dissolv- 
 ing a united government. Robert E. Lee never held as 
 much as the office of Road Supervisor in his native state. All 
 of his distinction before the war of the rebellion came to him 
 from the government of the United States and his only fame 
 today rests in his brilliant efforts to overthrow the same 
 government that educated him, supported him and honored 
 him. What is the real difference, if any, between such con- 
 duct and the viper which "Stings the hand that has warmed 
 it?" General Lee has been accredited with purity of purpose 
 and sincerity. If such is the fact, why did he in March, 1861, 
 write a letter to his son in svhich he denounced secession as 
 anarchy. His partisans today should explain why Robert E. 
 Lee deliberately adopted a course which he had declared was 
 anarchy. 
 
 I think better of Lee than I do of Davis, who in his 
 
 74 
 
HONOR TO WHOM HONOR IS DUE. 
 place in the United States senate did his best to encourage 
 discord and disunion and later on as the head of the seces- 
 sion and anarchy heresy, tolerated, if he did not instigate, the 
 horrible inhuman treatment of defenseless Union prisoners 
 who could hardly muster strength to step over their dead; 
 helpless prisoners who starved, rotted and perished from ex- 
 posure that was needless. 
 
 On Dec. 28, 1862, Davis made an appeal to the legislature 
 of Mississippi. Here is an extract: "You in Mississippi 
 know but little of the savage manner in which war is waged 
 by your barbarous enemies. Our enemies are a traditionless 
 and homeless race. From the time of Cromwell to the pres 
 ent moment, they have been disturbers of the peace of the 
 world. Gathered together by Cromwell from the bogs and 
 fens of Ireland and England, they began by disturbing the 
 peace of their own country. They disturbed Holland, to 
 which they fled, and they disturbed England on their return. 
 They persecuted Catholics in England and hung Quakers and 
 witches in America. I had intended to tight our battles on 
 the field of this enemy instead of suffering him to fight them 
 on ours. Failure to do this was not my will, but the power 
 of the enemy who had at their command all the accumulated 
 wealth and military stores that had been laid up for seventy 
 years They had grown rich from the taxes wrung from 
 you." 
 
 In view of the fact of the secession leaders having managed 
 to get possession of almost every U. S. fort and arsenal and 
 of their leaving the U. S. treasury empty before they fired on 
 the stars and stripes that waved over Fort Sumpter, as a 
 sample of hypocritical lying, the foregoing has no superior. 
 His attempt to revile the ancestry of the men who saved the 
 
 75 
 
HONOR TO WHOM HONOR IS DUE. 
 
 Union needs no comment. Yet Davis lived after the war, 
 trying to pose as a martyr of the "lost cause;" he lived on to 
 whine and complain, refnsing to recognize the great forbear- 
 ance of a united country that could even tolerate his presence. 
 
 In striking contrast with the foregoing appeal made by 
 Jefferson Davis, I will quote from Abrahara Lincoln's words 
 to the people, wliom he dearly loved: 
 
 "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firm- 
 ness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive 
 on to finish the work we are in: to bind up the nation's 
 wounds, to care for him who has borne the battle and for his 
 widow and his orphans; to do all of which may achieve and 
 cherish a lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." 
 
 I protest against the erection of monuments to Lee and 
 Davis, because they are not proper object lessons to teach fu- 
 ture generations loyalty to the flag and to our country. I 
 would not raise a single note of discord in these times of peace, 
 but I appeal to all true Americans who desire to cherish and 
 perpetuate true patriotism, that they make proper distinction 
 between our leader (Abraham Lincoln) of the Union cause 
 and the leaders of an unholy cause, who seldom mentioned 
 the name of Lincoln but to revile him as a brute, a gorilla 
 and a monster. 
 
 In memory of the thousands who in their youth gave up 
 their lives for the integrity and unity and greatness of this 
 country, and whose blessings are yours today, make distinc- 
 tion between the leaders of the men who preserved this Union 
 and the leaders of secession, who did their very best to des- 
 troy it! 
 
 76 
 
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